WE get a treat of three parables in this Sunday’s Mass. The first and second parables are preparatory to the third one, a much longer parable. The first one is about a shepherd who has one hundred sheep. Upon realizing that one is missing, he leaves the ninety nine sheep to search for the lost one. The second is the story of a woman with ten precious coins. Similarly, when she realizes that one of the coins is missing, she searches the house carefully to find the lost one. The third parable is a panoramic story of a father who has two sons. When the younger son returns home after wasting all his inheritance in a big city, the father comes running towards him, embraces him, and welcomes him back to his home.
In all three parables, we find the act of over rejoicing after the find: the shepherd ecstatically carries the lost sheep on his shoulder; the woman calls together all her friends to celebrate with her; and the father does the most unfathomable gesture of throwing a big party for his wayward son.
Jesus told these parables in the presence of the Pharisees and scribes to address their complaint of why Jesus was associating and eating with tax collectors and sinners. Jesus reminded them that he came to seek out the lost, to forgive sinners, to include everyone in the Kingdom of God. He came not for those who are well, but for those who are sick.
God’s love for everyone is deep, unconditional, assuring and incomparable to any act of love or forgiveness of a human being. He gives everyone second or third or more chances to change; he does not only forgive but also forget our wrongdoings, in other words, he does not keep resentments. He patiently waits for us to come to the truth of his commandments. He overlooks all our weaknesses and failures as he welcomes us back to serve him again in his household. He calls us his friends, and not his servants.
We can summarize the message of the three parables in this way: God’s love for us is pure and he he wants us always to know this truth. For those who have experienced and have realized this truth about God, a wonderful consequence happen: we become converted and transformed, more worthy of becoming his children.
Many saints experienced this metanoia. They did not just become saints because of their exceptional deeds and their charisms. Their heroic love for God and others is a consequence of the fundamental experience of God’s pure love. His personal love humbled their hearts and made them anew.
Not enough words can describe God’s profound love for each of us. We can only explain it in stories, parables, and, most of all, in personal testimonies. Each one has a story to tell of God’s personal, patient and unconditional love. As Jesus illustrated it through parables, may we too gladly share God’s love with others through our personal and unique stories.
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
