Reflection on Today's Readings, Saturday, 2nd Week of Lent, Year B, March 6th, 2021
Texts: Micah 7:14-15.18-20; Ps.103:1-4.9-12; Luke 15:1-3.11-32
We are reminded of how we are in dire need of God's mercy and guidance. The gospel reading tells us how abundant the mercy of God is. We are on the path to obtain God's mercy immediately we realize how far we have fallen from God's grace. It is possible to be in bad state and yet not to be aware of the need of God's grace. The pharisees and the scribes were in a bad state and yet were not aware of their need of mercy, they did not see the reason to repent and return to God. Instead of examining themselves, they were busy judging others, they were judging Jesus Christ for mingling with tax collectors and sinners. They forgot that holiness begins from within, with the self, and extend outside with the awareness that holiness requires being good to others and that it is a service to humanity. Holiness is not about judging others but understanding them and meeting them at the point of their needs, that they may see the light, their need of God's mercy and grace. Jesus understood this and so He never judged the tax collectors and sinners, but sought to meet them at the point of their deepest needs. With their encounter with Jesus Christ, they became aware of their needs of God's mercy and grace.
In the wasteful child of today's gospel reading, we see that the awareness of the need of God's grace begins the journey to return to God, it is the beginning of conversion and repentance. It is said, "But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father". He realised the life of abundance with His Father. Our awareness of the need of God's grace comes with the awareness that there is abundance of grace with God. This Lenten season will yield no fruits until we are aware of our needs of God's mercy and grace. Some of us do not take the Lenten observances seriously because we think we are ok. One significant thing about this season is that the prayers at mass are often pleas that our Lenten observances may bring renewal and bear fruits in our lives. If we do not take the Lenten observances seriously, I wonder how we can see ourselves in such prayers.
The return to God will not take place until the awareness of hope in God, that God will not turn us away when we return to Him. We need to trust in His mercy, it is the trust in His mercy that brings hope. The parable of the gospel reading centres on abundance of God's mercy and grace. It reminds us that God always wait for us to come back whenever we go astray. It is said, "But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ... And they began to make merry." The reminder that He celebrates our return to Him gives us hope, it fills us with zeal and enthusiasm to return to Him.
We must also realize our sins and be able to accuse ourselves of the sins, accepting the blame and the responsibility for the sin. Hence, the wasteful child says, "I will say to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.' And he arose and came to his father."
Sometimes, we are able to accuse ourselves of the sin but unable to say sorry to whom we have offended. The word, 'I'm sorry', looks simple, but requires a lot of spiritual and psychological energy to say it; our ego often stands as barrier. The thought that we might be taken for granted or we might be taken to be weaklings could hold us back from saying, 'I'm sorry'. We have to level our ego, that is, humility must prevail; we must be ready to be called whatever names, whether weakling or the other. One thing is sure, to say 'I'm sorry' genuinely is a sign of being strong and having dominion over self and the environment'. The wasteful child says 'I'm sorry' to his father in these words: "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son."
Prophet Micah is aware of our need of God's mercy and guidance, when he says, "Shepherd your people, O Lord, with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land; let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old." To shepherd is to guide, protect, feed and care. He calls on God to shepherd with His staff. Staff is an instrument used by a shepherd to bring back the straying sheep by beating them into line or fold; it is an instrument of correction. This means we need God's providence; His guidance, protection, correction, and care. He feeds and cares for us by leading us to a safe haven, a place of comfort and peace.
Prophet Micah describes our state thus: "the flock of your inheritance, who dwell alone in a forest in the midst of a garden land". This could be understood in the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, "I have passed your words on to them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:14-17). The forest is the evil world we are living in, we are alone in it because we are not of it; we have a distinctive character of our own, which separates us from the world; we have no relationship with world. However, in the forest we are in the midst of a garden land, which means a world of our own planned by God; a world ruled according to God's word. The garden takes our minds back to the garden of Eden, planted and prepared by God for man. God is in charge of this garden land, and so prophet Micah prays thus: "let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old. As in the days when you came out of the land of Egypt I will show them marvellous things." This brings to mind the words of our Lord Jesus Christ: "Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth" (John 17:17). We are fed with the words of God and the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Any where we are fed with the words of God and the Eucharist is our Bashan and Gilead. Bashan and Gilead are known for abounding in pasture, they were rich grazing land (Num. 32:1-5). Bashan and Gilead are the images of the Church, where we are fed with God's words and the Eucharist.
Prophet Micah goes further to show that we live by God's mercy. He says, "Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever because he delights in mercy. He will again have compassion upon us, he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." God holds back His anger whenever we repent and return to Him. When we repent, He treads our iniquities under foot and casts our sins into the depths of the sea; He no longer brings to mind our sins nor treat us according to them. This expresses how abundant is His mercy, it completely wipes away our sins and blots out our iniquities.
Lord our God, show us your mercy and we shall live to glorify your holy name, grant us a true conversion and repentance of heart. Amen.
Fr. Andrew Olowomuke
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