REFLECTION Sunday´s Gospel

24th Sunday C (12 Sept 2010)

Fr James McTavish, FMVD

Don’t forget to say thank you!

A friend was telling me recently about a young woman who became a nun. The friend was surprised because this young woman ‘was not the type’ to be a nun. She was quite funny, a track and field medallist and known to be a bit loud at parties! Sometimes we are surprised when those called by Jesus don’t fit into our stereotypes. Recently I went to celebrate mass in a women’s prison here in Manila with over 1700 inmates present. I asked them if it was possible to be holy being a prisoner. Most of them shook their heads. I reminded them that the first Pope spent time in prison (Peter) and also the one who wrote the second reading that day spent time in prison but it did not stop him becoming St Paul. Even I told them about a young medical student who with his friends was out celebrating after finally passing a difficult exam and ended up spending the night behind bars for being too noisy. What became of that medical student? He became a priest of course.

St Paul recognizes where he has come from and who has rescued him. He does not claim the credit or revel in his good works but says “I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry. I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.” (See 1 Tim 1: 12-17) He is grateful and is able to say “Merci!” (thank you in French) for the mercy of God. What is mercy? One definition of mercy I like very much is that of the moral theologian Fr James Keenan, S.J. He said that ‘mercy is the willingness to enter into the chaos of another’.

Jesus was not afraid to enter the chaos of others and sometimes this choice of Jesus scandalized the Pharisees. Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus and all of them were eager to hear what he had to say. If you look at the life of Jesus he was always seeking the lost and the marginalized – the tax collectors and sinners who were shunned by the religious authorities, the lepers - who were outcasts, the children - who were treated badly, women – who were dominated by the patriarchal society. What was the reaction of the Pharisees and scribes? Today’s gospel tells us “they frowned at his muttering ‘This man welcomes sinners and east with them’”. First point of conversion for us as individuals and as Church – who are we mixing with? Who do we reach out to? Does our work only bring us praise from others? Oscar Romero, the former Archbishop of El Salvador was criticized for his work with the poor “Do you want to know if your Christianity is genuine? Here is the touchstone: Whom do you get along with? Who are those who criticize you? Who are those who do not accept you? Who are those who flatter you? Know from that what Christ said once: "I have come not to bring peace, but division." Is the group or community I am in really trying to reach out to those that society considers lost? Will you welcome the ‘sinners’ – if not, then who of us can be in a community as we are all sinners!

What is quite impressive in the gospel of today is to see the eye for details which only love can give. Jesus recounts the parable of the lost sheep - "What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?” (See Luke 15, 1-10). I suppose the real question here is ‘what man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would actually notice it?’ Only the one for whom each sheep is uniquely important. Jesus always treated people as individuals and not as part of a crowd. He was not interested in playing a numbers game. Am I attentive to each person? It is said that when a person talked to Mother Theresa she had the gift of making them feel that they were the only person in the world because she was able to give them her total attention. Have you ever been with someone but your mind is somewhere else? Let us pray for the grace of being present to whomever God puts in our way. And let us believe that the mercy of God can work miracles in the lives of each one of us.

The mercy of God can do great things in the life of each one of us. For one, there can be no lost cases. God’s mercy can transform all situations. An episode in life which should be our downfall can become a victory for the Lord. An example suffices – St Columba. One day he borrowed a book from a nearby monastery and made an illegal copy. The court judgment deemed that as a calf belongs to the cow so the copy belonged to the owner of the book. In the ensuing battle between the two monasteries three thousand men were killed. St Columba’s confessor imposed the following penance – to announce the gospel to more souls than had been killed in the battle. He went on to become the apostle of Scotland whose love for Christ urged him ever onwards to share the Good news with all. Even the barred gates of the King’s castle could not hold him back as upon making the sign of the cross the doors sprung open and the King of Scotland was converted. God’s mercy can change everything.

When we stop for a moment and realize what God has done for our little lives how can we not proclaim God’s mercy like Mother Mary did “My soul rejoices in God’s mercy because he has looked with favour on his servant”. Let us be joyful as we say “Merci!” for God’s mercy.