You take pleasure in showing us Your constant love... – Micah 7:18
MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER KNOW
“I
love you more than you’ll ever know. I love you more than you’ll ever
see. More than my heart could ever show. I love you more than you’ll
ever know.” Whenever I hear this song, I always picture God singing it
to me. And my heart flutters just thinking about it. From the smallest
blessings, like an empty parking space at a mall on a Sunday, to the
biggest answered prayers, say, a financial breakthrough, He has never
failed to show me that He loves me.
He loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die for us. He loves
us so much that He has the best and grandest plans for us. Despite
life’s challenges, we can feel His love everywhere. God’s love is
definitely much more than what we can comprehend. Even if we sin, fall
into temptation, or break His heart, He loves us. Even if we are
undeserving, He loves us. No ifs, no buts. He loves us! Period. And
there is nothing that we can do that can make God love us less. Talk
about how amazing our God is!
God’s love is perfect and complete. It is constant, never-changing, endless. And this love is dedicated to you and me. Lala Dela Cruz
1ST READING
Micah
is a prophet of these unyielding truths — condemning sin as he sees it
in the lives of the Jewish people, and also showing a deep understanding
of the mercy and compassion of God. We need to develop both as our
faith response to God. Sin will never promote good living, at least good
living with a clear conscience. Let us seek to live holy and sinless
lives and embrace God’s love and call each day.
Micah 7:14-15, 18-20
14 Shepherd
your people with your staff, the flock of your inheritance, that dwells
apart in a woodland, in the midst of Carmel. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old; 15 as in the days when you came from the land of Egypt, show us wonderful signs. 18 Who is there like
you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his
inheritance; who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather
in clemency, 19 and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; 20 you will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from days of old.
P S A L M
Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R: The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all my being, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. (R) 3 He pardons all your iniquities, he heals all your ills. 4 He redeems your life from destruction, he crowns you with kindness and compassion. (R) 9 He will not always chide, nor does he keep his wrath forever. 10 Not according to our sins does he deal with us, nor does he requite us according to our crimes. (R) 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he put our transgressions from us. (R)
GOSPEL
There
is probably very little I can say about the parable of the Prodigal Son
that you have not heard already. So let me simply encourage you to read
it a few times and ask yourself, “Who do I identify most with in the
parable?” Then ask yourself, “What can I do to improve the ways in which
I receive God’s forgiveness and offer the same to those who have sinned
against me?”
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
I will get up and go to my father and shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32
1 Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, 2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” 3 So to them he addressed this parable. 11 “A man had two sons, 12 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. 13 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. 14 When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. 15 So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. 16 And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. 17 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. 18 I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.” ’ 20 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. 21 His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ 22 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. 23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. 25 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. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. 27 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.’ 28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. 29 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. 30 But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ 31 He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. 32 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.’ ”
REFLECTION
THE BIG EMPTY
A
joke goes around that a certain billionaire died in a car accident.
Since he helped society by putting a computer in almost every home, God
gave him the choice where he wanted to go. He asked God for a vision of
both heaven and hell. God agreed and so an angel brought the man to
hell. When the door opened, a breathtaking scene greeted him: a white
sand beach, palm trees swaying in the cool breeze, beautiful girls
frolicking around.
Then he was given a vision of heaven: a nice and peaceful place,
friendly faces around, angels playing harps and praising God. “Nice but
hell seems more exciting,” he said to himself. So he decided to go to
hell. God agreed.
Immediately the man found himself shackled to a wall, amidst hot
flames, being tortured by demons. Satan greeted him and the man
complained, “What happened to the white sand beach, palm trees and
beautiful girls?” “Oh, that was the screensaver I showed you,” Satan
clarified.
There are many screensavers out there in the world. Pope Benedict XVI
calls them “false infinities.” The human heart is made for the infinite.
Humanity’s mistake is trying to fill the infinite with the finite, the
space meant for God with something less than God, with screensavers.
The tragedy in today’s parable is no different. The younger son took
his inheritance and wandered off to “a distant country” where he spent
his money on dissolute living (v. 13). In the original Greek, (I credit
Fr. Robert Barron for pointing this out), the term for “a distant
country” is chora makra. Literally, it means the big empty, the realm of meaninglessness. The younger son went to the chora makra — the
realm of false infinities, of attractive but superficial screensavers.
It is no wonder that very soon a famine broke out in that “distant
country” (verse 14). The famine was the natural consequence of venturing
into the big empty. No wonder the Scriptures reminds us: “How lovely is
your dwelling place O Lord… One day within your courts is better than a
thousand elsewhere” (Psalm 84:1,10). Fr. Joel Jason
"Lord, thank You for Your great love for us. May we be instruments of Your love all the days of our lives."
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