TO BE IN SIN IS TO BE SPIRITUALLY LOST (HOMILY FOR THE 24TH SUNDAY IN THE ORDINARY TIME YEAR C

Homily for the 24th Sunday in the ordinary time, year C

Theme: To be in sin is to be spiritually lost

First Reading: Exodus 32:7-11; 13-14;  Second Reading: 1Timothy 1:12-17; Gospel: Luke 15:1-32

The Gospel reading of today presents to us a trinity of parables: the parable of the lost sheep, the parable of the lost coin, and the parable of the prodigal son.

Common to these three parables is the fact that something was lost: the lost sheep, lost coin and then the prodigal son. Yes! Even the prodigal son. This is beacuse to get lost means to be separated into an unknown location. The prodigal son can be considered lost as well because he was separated from home into an unknown location (far distant land). 

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, I do not know if you have had a personal experience of being lost before, either as a child or a young adult, separated into a location unknown to you, a location cut off from your knowledge? How did you feel? What was your experience? Have you had an experience of searching for something precious to you that you lost? How depraved and anxious were you at those moments? However, the honest truth remains that the kind of joy that envelopes us when we finally find our lost items tends to supersede the pain we had when we lost them.

Dearest brothers and sisters in Christ, Sin can also be considered as the state of being spritually lost, cut off or separated from the location of grace into an unknown location of depravity. Sin's ultimate evil is to truncate our connection to God's grace, to destroy our communion with God and get us lost.

The first reading of today's liturgy of the word (Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14) tells us of how the Israelites got lost in sin in the desert. During the forty days that Moses spent on top of Mount Sinai recieving the ten commandments and instructions from God. How the people got tired of waiting. So they made an imitation of the sacred bull which they had seen being adored in Egypt. They melted their golds and fashioned the image of the Egyptian bull, a golden calf, a symbol of strennght, which they worshipped and offered sacrifices. They were lost in paganism.

Israelites forgot the Good and Great God that brought them out of the land of Egypt  and promised them a homeland of milk and honey, instead they returned to paganism. They turned away from their divine benefactor and accepted the idol of their own slave-masters in Egypt. They were an ungrateful people, stiff-necked and proud and arrogant people.

Beloved in Christ, the first of the ten commandments instructs us: "I am the Lord your God, thou shall not have any other god before me" (Exodus 20:3). Is there another God aside the one and only true God in your life? God was displeased with the people and told Moses that His wrath shall blaze out upon them and devour them but through Moses shall He raise up a great nation.

Moses interceeded for the people, praying that God may remember the promise he made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: "I will make your offspring, as many as the stars of heaven, and all the lands which I promised, I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage forever" (cf: Gen 13:16). Hence, we are told that God relented and did not bring upon the people the disaster, he had threatened.

Beloved in Christ, God loves us and had done so much for us and we ought to be grateful.  Even while we were still sinners, Jesus died on the cross that we might be saved (Rom 5:8). Let us be grateful and not turn away from him to worship riches, drugs, pleasures, prestige etc. The mass is a Thanksgiving sacrifice, how grateful then are you with your life and what you have?

Like Moses, let us interceed for our brothers and sisters for their many sins. Rather than castigate, judge and condemn, let us interceed for them and try to effect a change in their hearts, most especially those entrusted to us.

A story was told of three bad boys who were expelled from three different schools. One was expelled because he was drawing pictures during geography class, the second because he was always fighting, the third was because he kept bad books under his mattress. These boys were Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin. We know how much the world was tormented by these people later in life. Had it been that their teachers and school authorities worked towards transforming and correcting them, who knows, the world may have known peace these previous years.

Let us not follow the footstep of the elder son in the Gospel reading we heard, on the narrtive of the prodigal son. The elder son was indifferent and non-chalant towards the return of the younger son who was lost. He had no joy in him for the progress of his younger brother. We must show concern for the return of our brothers and sisters who had derailed that they may return to the community of Christ.

Just as we rightly said at the beginning of the homily, the Gospel reading presents to us a trinity parable by Jesus as a response to the complaints of the scribes and pharisees. Parables that remind us respectively, that we are sinners, lost in sin and depravity and are in dare need of rescue from God.

In the parable of the lost sheep; the lost sheep that strayed away from the hundred, represents the sinner who strayed from the flock of Christ. Hence, the man who went insearch of the lost sheep is a representation of the care and compassion of Jesus the Good Shepherd, who seeks to rescue us individually from the depravity of sin into the community of God. This we are told brought about rejoicing in heaven over one repentant  sinner than over ninety-nine virtuos men who need no repentance.

The parable of the lost coin, designates the infinite value each soul has before God. Though lost in the dust of sin, God relentlessly seeks the transformation of the sinner and brings him back into the fold of the righteous. This brings about rejoicing among the angels over one repentant sinner.

The parable of the prodigal son represents the sinner who left to the freedom of his will, got lost in sin and misery, and desired the return to the home of the father.

The prodigal son,  we are told "gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, where he squandered his property dissolute living" (Lk 15:13). This is a representation of sinners who abandon God and distance themselves from the Church and the sacraments. They live in unrighteousness, degradation and wastefulness.

We are told that the "prodigal son hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to the fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything" (Lk 15:15-16). This is a clear indication of the degradation of the soul caused by sin.  Sin causes spiritual insensitivity and incapacity to perceive the truth. In sin, we loose the sense of the sacred and become worthless.  Imagine a royal prince feeding from the pods of pigs. That is what sin can do to the human person.

In the prodigal son we see three kinds of experience that takes place when one sins. 

The first is "autonomy": that disposition to think and act as one feels and pleases, without recourse to the obedience of authority and the conscience. The prodigal son desired a share of his own inheritance even though the father was alive, and set to a distant land. To feel independent and in control. However, this sort of independence leads to loneliness and bitterness. The Book of Proverbs (21:16) says that a man who wanders from the way of understanding will rest in the assembly of the dead.

Sometimes, like the prodigal son, individuals, groups, societies and organizations in the church want to have things their own way rather than listen to the voice of the legitimate authority. They want to be independent and pursue their on set goals. This we must refrain from as it endangers the unity of the church and gets us lost as well.

The second is "nostalgia" and "repentance": we are told that at a point the prodigal son came to him self and said I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired servants" (Lk 15:18-19). Beloved in Christ, the prodigal at a point understood that he had made a mistake and felt nostalgic.  He wants to go home, he needed repentance. So also it is with every sinner. At a point the sinner feels bad about his or her actions,  realizes his or her mistakes and desires to make amends, to repent and seek the face of God. That is the point we begin to nurse the feeling of going to the sacrament of penance yo reconcile with God. 

The thirds experience is "Mercy" and "pardon": we are told that when the father sighted him from a distant, he tan out to meet him, hugged him nd kissed him. Put the nest robe on him, put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Commanded to get the fatted calf killed for celebration because this son of mine was dead and is alive again, was lost and is found" (Lk 15:22-24). All these a repentant sinner experiences even at the sacrament of penance. God restores us to the dignity of his adopted sons and daughters. This is so because sin enslaves us and makes us spiritually wretched. But the mercy of God restores our human dignity. We are clothed in the garment of righteous as children of God.

Friends in Christ, God, the Father is not only willing but waiting for us to return to him. He wants to give us back all that we have lost by committing sin. He want to once again admit us into the fellowship of his own family, to give us a happy home. He says there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than overbninety-nine righteous persons who have no need of repentance (Lk 15:7).

Brothers and sisters in Christ, the Gospel of today challenges us to embrace the sacrament of penance. It is possible that many here have not gone to the sacrament of confession for so many years. Their consciences keeps talking to them, they notice the nolstagic feeling but lack the courage to take the bold step. Let us be aware that sin is not only by outright commission like the younger son but also by some prideful attitudes like the older son, who judged and condemned the younger brother, who returned to the family house alive. Brethren, remember, a proud person is an abomination before God. 

We pray in this mass that we may regain our senses like the younger son and find our way back into communion with God. Hoping that all wee have lost out of our carelessness and mistakes, God will restore them all a hundred fold in Jesus name. Amen. 

Happy sunday to you all

Fr Remi osj