From The Bishop

St. Paul, in his Letter to Timothy, offers the central theme for the Readings of the Twenty-Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time. He states, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners â€" of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy…â€� God offers us mercy because we are sinners. In fact God seeks the lost and then celebrates their return. The three parables of the Gospel of St. Luke emphasize this point. We see the shepherd who looks for the lost sheep, the woman who searches for the lost coin, and the Father who welcomes home his prodigal son. In all three parables there is a celebration when what was lost is found. This Gospel should fill us with profound joy as we contemplate God’s mercy. His love for us is so great that when we turn away from Him He continues to pursue us. When reconciliation occurs, He is not satisfied with simply acknowledging our return, He needs to celebrate. It is truly incredible when we consider how much we are loved and valued by our God. How can we not love Him in return? The problem is that like the Israelites of the First Reading we can worship gods of our own making. We can even make ourselves into a god. The Sunday Readings remind us that we are sinners who can so easily become lost and confused; however, this does not mean we are worthless creatures destined to failure. God continually offers love and mercy and celebrates our return. This is a message of great hope that we can offer in our preaching this weekend.