24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Cycle C, Year II)
Community Word: True Disciples of Christ know and follow His teachings.
Theme: We know and follow Christ’s teachings when we repent and seek reconciliation with God and others.
Promise: “There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:10)
Reflection:
It is God’s will that man, being created in His image and likeness, be like His Son, Jesus. He is far more interested in who we are than what we do, more concerned about our character than our works. Our accomplishments will be of no consequence when our time comes, but we will take our character with us into eternity. We are asked to imitate the divine and supernatural love that emanates from the Holy Spirit in the heart of Jesus that compelled Him to give Himself for our sake.
Becoming like Christ is a continuing process of spiritual growth throughout our life’s journey. It is like a marathon that requires constancy and perseverance to the very end. Whatever unfinished work in our character is left will be completed when we grow in spiritual maturity in the fullness of Christ, as St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians – “… until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ,” (Eph 4:13).
When we were sinners and not in the right standing with God, Jesus Christ in an ultimate act of mercy humbled Himself and became a slave to die for our sins on the cross. Because of His great compassion, He withheld just punishment, took condemnation in our place and offered abundant and eternal life to us instead. Because of His kindness and tender-heartedness, He joins us in our sufferings and carries our burdens whenever He sees us in misery, in pain and in sorrow. From His forgiving heart, He is quick to pardon our faults and forget our failures when we seek to restore our relationship with Him.
From His kindheartedness, God overwhelms us with His mercy that overflows to the wayward and the lost. Our hearts are empowered by His love and compassion that compels us to come to the aid of our suffering brothers in their helplessness. He gratifies our hearts with overflowing joy that arises from remorse and repentance. And He gives us courage and fills our soul with motivation so that we can be ministers of forgiveness and reconciliation to those who have wronged or hurt us.
As followers of Christ, we should learn from the heart and character of Jesus to be merciful, compassionate and forgiving and be a witness to others that they may see the face of Jesus in us. Our way of life that follows the path of Christ should draw people towards Him, especially those who lost faith along the way, those who were misguided from the truth and those who became discouraged in finding hope in their situation. Let us follow the example of the good shepherd who lost one sheep and the woman who lost one coin; they rejoiced when they found what they lost. And the example of the father who welcomed his son who was lost but who returned to him. He gathered his whole household to celebrate because he was jubilant in having his son back. Because of His mercy and compassion, the Lord brings us this promise: “…
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents…” (Lk 15:7).
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, change my heart to be merciful, compassionate and forgiving like Your Son, Jesus. Help me to be attentive to the needs of my neighbors and be able to respond to their sufferings without delay. Keep me from being indifferent to their miseries and pains, from being judgmental and critical of their shortcomings. Make me an instrument of reconciliation and forgiveness, in restoring broken relationships and in bringing souls back to Your heart of mercy. In Jesus name. Amen.
Reflection Guide Questions:
- Share an experience of how you felt after returning back to God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. How did you feel being healed from confessing a habitual sin?
- Are you struggling from extending forgiveness and compassion to someone? What steps are you taking to change your heart?
This Week’s Daily Mass Reading Guide:
September 11, 2022 (Sun) – Ex 32:11, 13, 14/ Ps 51:3, 4, 12, 13, 17, 19/ 1Tm 1:12-17/ Lk 15:1-32
September 12, 2022 (Mon) – 1Cor 11:17-26/ Ps 40:7-10, 17/ Lk 7:1-10
September 13, 2022 (Tue) – 1Cor 12:1-14, 27-31/ Ps 100:1-5/ Lk 7:11-17
September 14, 2022 (Wed) – Nm 21:4-9/ Ps 78:1, 2, 34, 34-38/ Phil 2:6-11/ Jn 3:13-17
September 15, 2022 (Thu) – Heb 5:7-9/ Ps 31:2-6, 15, 16, 20/ Jn 19:25-27
September 16, 2022 (Fri) – 1Cor 15:12-20/ Ps 17:1, 6-8, 15/ Lk 8:1-3
September 17, 2022 (Sat) – 1Cor 15:35-37, 42-49/ Ps 56:10-14/ Lk 8:4-15
“Ignorance of the Bible is ignorance of Christ. Read your Bible daily!”
