Gospel Reflection: Sept. 16, 2007

Quotes:

Christ is in search of every human being, whatever the situation! … Jesus wants to save each one. And with a salvation which is offered, not imposed.

--Message of John Paul II for the Jubilee in Prisons, 9 July 2000

We are still a long way from the time when our conscience can be certain of having done everything possible to prevent crime and to control it effectively so that it no longer does harm and, at the same time, to offer to those who commit crimes a way of redeeming themselves and making a positive return to society. If all those in some way involved in the problem tried to . . . develop this line of thought, perhaps humanity as a whole could take a great step forward in creating a more serene and peaceful society.

--John Paul II, July 9, 2000

We believe that because we are all created by God, "none of us is the sum total of the worst act we have ever committed. . . . As a people of faith, we believe that grace can transform even the most hardened and cruel human beings."

--Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration,

A Statement of the Catholic Bishops of the United States

Whenever there is an accident or a tragedy, there is a search for someone to blame. Often all the modern means of communication join in; accusations, resignations, demands for compensation and the rest. If a guilty person is found, then an orgy of condemnation and vilification. Rarely a sense of, there but for the grace of God go I. Instead of dealing gently with one another's failure because of our own vulnerability to criticism, there is the presumption that we are in a fit condition to judge and to condemn.
--David Bronnert


Thoughts for your consideration:

• The first reading from Exodus is about the process of coming to find a God who is not vengeful, but who is willing to show mercy and forgiveness.

• Jesus tells three stories to make his point about the mercy of God. God is concerned about redemption and forgiveness. God wants to “save sinners.” God wants to bring people to the fullness of life. God wants to reconcile individuals, groups, and nations.

• Sometimes even religious people have trouble finding the merciful side of God. So many people fall into the trap of condemning others and showing no mercy. We can be tempted to violence and revenge when we face evil. Nations and groups can be tempted to resort to war or terror rather than understanding, nonviolence, and reconciliation.

• The challenge of today’s scriptures is to apply the message of mercy to our image of God and especially to our own way of treating others. (“Be merciful as God is merciful.”)

• A further challenge is to apply this gift not only to our interpersonal relationships and our struggle with personal sin, but also to social sin – to our prejudices, to our racial attitudes, to our way of treating minorities or anyone different than ourselves, to our ways of dealing with national and ethnic groups, to our way of treating all our brothers and sisters.

• An even further challenge is to apply this vision of mercy and reconciliation to our criminal justice system, to our country’s use of the death penalty, to our ways of allotting educational resources to children in different neighborhoods, to our ways of dealing with those who are struggling with substance abuse, to situations of violence and war in any part of the world, to our international relationships, especially toward those nations we have condemned and sanctioned, like Iraq, Iran, North Korea, or Cuba, and also to groups that use violence like Al Qaeda, the Taliban, or even our own nation.

• The gospel groups together three parables which try to teach us about God’s mercy and compassion. In each story there is a powerful passion for finding the lost. The father deeply desires his younger son to come back and desires his older son to come into the party. The shepherd passionately desires to find the lost sheep. The woman looks everywhere until she finds her lost coin. God has a passion for all the people of the world. As we pray today, we might ask ourselves: “What is God’s passion today as God looks at our world?” How do we share that passion in our desires for the world and its people?


Questions for Reflection in your Faith Sharing Group:• Share about an experience where you received forgiveness and acceptance.
• How did this experience change you behavior?
• How did it change you way of treating other people?

Actions -- Links:

The US Catholic Bishops have reflected on the US criminal justice system in light of Catholic Social Teaching. They reflections resulted in a statement issued on November 15, 2000. Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration: A Catholic Perspective on Crime and Criminal Justice: A Statement of the Catholic Bishops of the United States
It is available at: http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/criminal.shtml

Sojourners is organizing a “Prayer Surge for Peace” in Iraq and asking people to tell their representatives and to call on them to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq. For info go to:
http://go.sojo.net/campaign/surgeforpeace/8uuk7grr8m6nt5?

Prayers of Intercession:
Response: God, help us to be merciful as you are merciful.

For an end to the war in Iraq and genuine peace and reconciliation, we pray….
For an end to all terrorism and militarism anywhere around our world, we pray….
For all those in prison or jail, we pray…..
For all ex-prisoners, we pray….
For all those without adequate employment or a living wage, we pray….
For all those without enough to eat or a decent place to live, we pray….
For refugees and for immigrants, we pray….
For an end to all racism, sexism, discrimination, and exclusion of others, we pray….

Prayer – Meditation:

For a poem “Prayer for Reconciliation” go to
http://www.invitationtoprayer.org/prayers_reconciliation.html
“Gracious God, ruling the earth and its people not by terror but in love; we worship you.”

For “Reconciliation - A Prayer” by Joy Harjo, go to http://www.hanksville.org/storytellers/joy/poems/reconciliation.html
“All acts of kindness are lights in the war for justice.”

--Lectionary Reflection by Fr. John Bucki, S.J.