Christ who welcomes sinners

Gospel
Lk 15:1-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable.

“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?And when he does find it,he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home,he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house,searching carefully until she finds it?And when she does find it,she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them,‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’In just the same way, I tell you,there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Then he said, “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything,a severe famine struck that country,and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,but nobody gave him any.Coming to his senses he thought,‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat,but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son;treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off,his father caught sight of him,and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him,‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;I no longer deserve to be called your son.’But his father ordered his servants,‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him;put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast,because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;he was lost, and has been found.’Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house,he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him,‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’He became angry,and when he refused to enter the house,his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply,‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders;yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns,who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’He said to him,‘My son, you are here with me always;everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice,because your brother was dead and has come to life again;he was lost and has been found.’”

St Martin's Sermon

Today is Battle of Britain Sunday. What happened in our skies in 1940 led Winston Churchill to say "Never in the course of human history has so much been owed by so many to so few". But, I believe, there is an act of self sacrifice with even greater significance for all of us. In I Timothy Paul writes: "Christ Jesus came into the world for sinners"; "There is only one mediator between God and humanity, himself a human being, Christ Jesus, who offered himself a ransom for all". "The man who welcomes sinners" and causes such offense to his religious contemporaries is called "Jesus" because the angel instructed Joseph "You must call his name Jesus, for it is He who will save his people from their sins". That is what the name means "God Saves".

Today Jesus is preached predominantly as the icon of the good life we are to copy and follow but our eucharistic worship makes little sense unless it is understood as re-presentation of the Lord's death by which sinful mortals may approach a Holy God through the broken body and the shed blood of a once for all Saviour. We are not only welcomed by Jesus. We are "ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven". "We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you; because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world".

I recall a new parish priest being appointed to Otley in West Yorkshire who got a lot of flack from respectable inhabitants when a large, bold, notice appeared outside his town centre church: "This Church is for sinners only". Obviously, they had not taken to heart our Lord's story of the two men praying in the Temple - a Pharisee who prayed "I thank you Lord that I am not as other men" and a Publican who prayed "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner". Jesus concluded that it was this man and not the Pharisee who went home justified.

Non judgemental welcome and acceptance is what works best for wayward men and women. It usually creates the optimum conditions in which weak and frail humans can expose their faults and failures, desire to change, to make amends and to start again. When we come to Jesus with our sins we are coming to one who is able to redeem us and send us on our way rejoicing. To be able to do this for us makes God, the Father, happy too. "There is more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety nine righteous men who have no need of repentance".

Earlier this year Pope Benedict published Volume One of a book called simply "Jesus of Nazareth". It has been widely acclaimed and become a best seller. It is an exposition of his own personal gospel journey from the Jesus of History to the Jesus of Faith. He calls the Parable of the Prodigal Son "The Parable of the two brothers". Jesus began his story with the words "A man had two sons". If only they would let him, the Father wants to love them both equally - the wayward younger boy and the dutiful but resentful elder boy. The story doesn't end with the Father welcoming the younger boy back home. It ends with the Father running from one to the other trying to bring them together, trying to convince each of his love. "Only when I have done this" he seems to be saying "will my joy be complete".

So never mind what kind of a sinner you are. We are all sinners. No one is excepted. Just be glad that Jesus welcomes sinners, loves them and redeems them.

Draw near with faith and take this Holy Sacrament to your comfort.