Remember Lot's wife

 

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "This kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  

 

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

 

- Luke 17:20-37 

Yesterday we read that as Jesus went to Jerusalem, He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were not there ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

  Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "This kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."   My study bible comments here that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality, which is present within the Christian believer, and within the community of the Church.  It is important to know that the words translated as within you can also mean "among you" and "in your midst."  Every meaning is important:  it is necessary to keep in mind the latter two, while not losing the sense of the first.

 

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back."   The warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters is applicable both to individuals believers, and to parishes, my study bible reminds us.  This is an illustration of our focus in every day life.  Christ is teaching us that it is important to keep in our consciousness His promise of return.  Christ illustrates that His return (or second coming) will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  One will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  My study bible bible says that the separation of the saints from the wicked will occur on "the day when the Son of Man is revealed" and not, as some speculate, at a time that occurs before Christ's return.  

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study bible elaborates here that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints. 

Jesus gives two different perspectives here on the kingdom of God; one is to the Pharisees who ask Him about it, and the other to His disciples.  First of all, the question from the Pharisees reminds us as well that the Jews were also looking to the coming of the Kingdom.  The Messiah was seen as a figure who would usher in this reality into the world, and popular expectations looked to that kingdom as a material one in which the kingdom of Israel would triumph over her enemies (especially over the Roman Empire of the period), and reign supreme in the world.   Seen in that context, Jesus' answer become a poignant one for all of us, because it reminds us profoundly that His gospel is one in which we bear the Kingdom into the world.  This is the good news of Christ's ministry.  Then He turns to His disciples, and He begins to speak about the Second Coming, His return to the world after His Passion, Resurrection, and Ascension.  We remind ourselves, as does the Gospel at this point, that Jesus is headed toward Jerusalem and toward His Passion.  The disciples seem entirely unknowing despite His warnings of what is to come.  It might be unthinkable to them at this point that He could die, just as the future destruction of the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem was no doubt unthinkable to the Pharisees.  While His answer to the Pharisees was no doubt incomprehensible, we as disciples are called to understand what it means that the Kingdom is both within us and among us.  But His Second Coming remains something in which many are mired in speculation.  Most telling, in terms of the historical and traditional perspective of the Church, is that which is noted by my study bible:  that when it does come, it will come as a powerful unmistakable force for everyone in the world.  As Jesus describes it, His return will occur "as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day."  Moreover, with total swiftness of the moment, some will be taken and some will remain.  There will be no preparation for this time, save the signs Jesus has named in His discussions with the disciples in the various places in the Gospels when He also speaks of the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem.  In Luke's Gospel, see Luke 21:5-28.  When Jesus speaks of the destruction of the temple (which would occur in 70 AD), it is intermingled also with prophecy of end times, meaning that we are never given clear timelines for His return.  Also, in a true historical and traditional perspective of the Church, "end times" include the whole of the period in which we await Christ's return.  So, the most essential information we take with us is the suddenness and unexpected quality of Christ's return.  He gives us a picture of people going along with their daily lives, entirely unaware of the moment of His return and the judgment that instantaneously occurs.  But this is a picture for us of the times of today.  It is we, as disciples, who must understand that we carry the Kingdom with us into the world, just as the earliest disciples were told by Jesus to tell people that "the kingdom of God has come near to you" (Luke 10:9-11).  Whether He is addressing the Pharisees or His disciples, Jesus' message is clear in today's reading.  We the faithful are those who must bear this living Kingdom into the world, within us and among us -- even as we await His return, of which He asks us to be ever-mindful.  In a rather stunning and slightly cryptic manner, He warns the disciples, "Remember Lot's wife."  She is the one who turned to a pillar of salt, as she looked back at the destruction of the "cities of the plain" (Genesis 19:26).  Jesus seems to be indicating that judgment can come this swiftly and powerfully, and that we are to be mindful always of what it is we are about, and the choice we make to bear this Kingdom within us and into the world.  Elsewhere, Jesus tells a would-be disciple who wants first to go back home to bid others good-bye, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:61-62).  Jesus' powerful reminder is a kind of explanation to us of the importance of our choices, our calling to be a part of this Kingdom.  Let us note that He calls both the Pharisees and His disciples to understanding, even as He is on His way to Jerusalem.  Let us remember where our focus needs to be in our own journey of faith.

 

 

Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?

 

 Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were not there ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

- Luke 17:11–19 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, saying, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.   The specter of leprosy looms large over the Scriptures.  It was one of the most dread diseases in Christ's time and earlier.  My study bible says that it brought great physical suffering, as well as total banishment and isolation from society.  In the Scriptures, it became a symbol of our sin.  Here, we note that Jesus gives the command to "show yourselves to the priests" as required by the Mosaic Law.  It was the priests who regulated the way the community dealt with lepers and leprous houses; they would have to have a certificate of cleanliness from the disease.  My study bible says that, according to St. Cyril of Alexandria, Christ gives the command in order to convince the priests by a tangible miracle that He is superior to Moses.  The priests hold Moses to be greater than Christ, but Christ heals the lepers immediately and with His own divine authority.  When Miriam, sister of Moses, was struck with leprosy, Moses had to seek mercy from above, and still she was only healed after seven days (Numbers 12:10-15).  

 

 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were not there ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."  Jesus asks, "But where are the nine?"   My study bible notes that Christ came to heal all of fallen humanity, but only a small portion receive Him in faith and thanksgiving to give glory to God.  Therefore Christ's saying, "many are called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16).  My study bible says that the lesson for Christians is that worship is the number one priority.  

In yesterday's reading and commentary, we noted Jesus' words and teachings to the disciples, which addressed their future role as leaders and caretakers of Christ's Church.  Today's reading actually touches on similar themes, in the sense that we are taught about the importance of giving glory to God -- that is, the deep need that we have for thanksgiving, in order to realize where we are in the cosmos and our relationship to God.  We need to be cognizant of what we have, how we are blessed, the things that are good in our lives, and good about life itself.  Without this recognition, we easily slide into a state of self-centeredness, in which we fail to recognize the good, and focus solely on what we think we lack, and our unfulfilled demands.  These nine lepers seem to take for granted what has been done for them.  And therein is a good symbol for our lives in the world.  Possibly we take for granted the good things in life that our faith does for us, even for the world.  It seems to be somewhat rare that in the popular imagination the world is anything except meant to be solely for the good, in the sense of dreams fulfilled and expectations met.  This might be a mindset provided by our present-day capacity to create so much material good, and for modern societies to generate wealth; perhaps it is the natural outcome of life so permeated with social media reflecting back to us the lives of Hollywood or other elites and their materially magnificent lives.  When we read of those who crash and burn, such as "stars" who succumb to addiction or alcoholism, or success stories of going to rehab and turning life around, we seem to rarely think about the spiritual side of these stories.   Although popular crime stories -- both true and fiction -- seem to be more in demand than ever as entertainment, it seems to be rare that we even question the influence of evil in our world.  Do we wonder about the pervasiveness of lies and half-truths in media in order to persuade us to support one political party or position over another?  Does it bother us that in modern democracies a free flow of information seems to be a threat to some very influential people?  When we fail to recognize that evil -- in spiritual terms -- is part of the influence in our world, then we also fail to give gratitude for and recognize the importance and power of the holy in our lives.  The power that is on display through Jesus in the Gospels isn't merely metaphorical or symbolic.  He's not just a "good person" who teaches us to have good morals and do good things.  The spiritual reality of God who comes into our world to heal it is meant to be understood as powerful and palpable, accessible through worship and prayer, and an absolute necessity in our lives in order to truly be blessed (as in the Beatitudes, not "Keeping Up With the Kardashians").   See Matthew 5:1-10, and also the "woes" listed in Luke in reference to the "rich and famous" of His time (Luke 6:20-26).  These lists of blessings (and also woes) are spiritual in nature, things which go completely unrecognized in media that focuses solely on the material perspective of life, and is so often wielded by those working for a great deal of money offered by institutions pushing agendas for a client.  The same warnings go for "news" of the world that purports to be unclouded by prejudice or personal interests of the powerful, be they individuals, parties, corporations, or governments.  Our failure to give thanks to God is a failure to see the world as it truly is.  It becomes a blindness to the real dangers of the influence of "the evil one," to whom Jesus refers as the father of lies in John 8:44.  Our orientation to the work of God in our world, and our deep spiritual need for Christ's healing, becomes an essential touchstone for understanding ourselves and our own condition, our where-with-all in a world that is full of confusing, disorienting, and deliberately misleading manipulation for all kinds of purposes and goals.  These are too numerous for us to count.  But let us rest on Christ's word regarding what is of importance and what God wants from us.  In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the disciples about being good servants, who carry a responsibility into the world.  Our prayer, praise, and righteous conduct keeps us in a particular place as we recognize the important role of faith and God's active presence in our lives and in our world.  Let us not be like the nine lepers who neglect to place their attention where it is due, and fail to give thanks in what looks suspiciously like "entitlement" to modern eyes!  Let us recognize and remember who we are and where we are, in a world that isn't perfect, and in which we need roots in our faith for truly blessed lives.

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith"

 

 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.  And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not.  So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, saying, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"

 

- Luke 17:1-10 

 

In yesterday's reading, Jesus taught the following parable to a group of Pharisees:  "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'" 

 Then He said to the disciples, "It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!  It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.  Take heed to yourselves.  If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, 'I repent,' you shall forgive him."  After Jesus' warning to the Pharisees (see yesterday's reading, above), the theme in the Gospels turns to warning to the disciples, as they will be the ones in the future who administer Christ's Church, just as the Pharisees are religious leaders of the Jews.  Here the warning and admonitions come for abuses of power, first and foremost toward the little ones.  My study bible ways that "little ones" refers primarily to children, but by extension to anyone whose heart is humble and dependent upon God, all those who are poor in spirit.  In the same vein of good administration of His Church, Jesus speaks of discipline within the Church, and both repentance and forgiveness.  Seven times a day is a symbol of fullness.  (See also Matthew 18:21-35.)

And the apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."  So the Lord said, "If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you."  My study bible comments that the mulberry tree is a symbol of the works of the devil.  Silkworms feed on the leaves of the mulberry, and worms are a scriptural image of hell (Mark 9:42-48).  This patristic interpretation is confirmed by many scriptural images of evil being destroyed in the sea (8:33; Exodus 14:27; Matthew 21:21; Revelation 20:10).

"And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once and sit down to eat'?  But will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink'?  Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him?  I think not."  First Jesus mentions the servant plowing, and then the one tending sheep second.  My study bible comments that this shows that one must first work out one's own salvation (Philippians 2:12), before one can become a shepherd of others.

"So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, saying, 'We are unprofitable servants.  We have done what was our duty to do.'"  The word unprofitable (literally, "without merit") does not mean that intrinsic value is absent.  My study bible explains that it means that everything we have comes from God and is owed back to God.  There is nothing that we can offer to God that is not already God's.

I find it intriguing that the first thing the disciples ask Christ, after He speaks to them about forgiveness in the Church, and warns them about offenses to the "little ones," is a plea:  "Increase our faith."  This is a prayer, even a demand.  It is a rare declarative statement on the part of the disciples, and it is one that commands from Christ something they dearly need, an increase in faith.  Perhaps it is particularly poignant that at this juncture, Jesus is moving toward Jerusalem, toward Passion Week and the Cross -- even the time when He will no longer be with them in the flesh, and they will be the stewards of His Church.  Everything else in today's reading should be seen within that context.  So, we also should be asking of the Lord, "Increase our faith."  If we look at today's message in context, it is not so much about a warning as to the treatment of the "little ones" as it is a profound statement on the nature of what it means to serve God.  We look toward our duties as responsibilities, as a way of living in this world as we bear Christ within us, and we carry His Church into the world.  Each one of us shares this responsibility with the disciples, and I wonder if we take on this discipline as gravely as we should.  Perhaps we don't realize what a profound duty it truly is, and what a deep responsibility to carry the gift of the gospel message, and to bear Kingdom into the world.  In Psalm 50, God says to Israel, "I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds.  For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.   I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine.  If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all its fullness."  Instead, God asks for praise and for righteous behavior.  In Christ's teaching, we, as servants, must remember this charge from the Lord.  It is about always keeping in mind the things God asks of us:  an attitude of thanksgiving which puts us in proper perspective on our lives in this world, and a personal understanding of what it is to serve God and to give glory to God, to call upon God in times of trouble, to remember where our loyalty lies.  Most of all, let us be like the disciples and pray for our faith to increase, so that we always understand where our duty lies, what awaits the work of our hands, heart, and minds.  

Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented

 

 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.  

"Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.' 

"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

 

- Luke 16:19–31 

 

On Saturday, we read that Jesus taught to the Pharisees with whom He sat at table:  "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."  Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.  Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery." 

 

  "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day.  But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table.  Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.  So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom.  The rich man also died and was buried.  And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."   Abraham's bosom, my study bible explains, means heaven.  Abraham is mentioned among all the righteous as, by stark contrast to the rich man, Abraham is the one who showed hospitality to strangers (Genesis 18:1-8).  That the rich man . . . was buried is seen in patristic tradition as illustrating the state of his merciless soul, as he was buried by the pleasures of the flesh, as my study bible puts it.  St. John Chrysostom comments that this rich man was already buried in life by "couches, rugs, furnishings, sweet oils, perfumes, large quantities of wine, varieties of food, and flatterers."  That he remains unnamed indicates that he is ultimately forgotten (see Psalm 9:6).  

"Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'  But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented.  And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'"  My study bible points out that the rich man's appeal to Abraham as a spiritual father is not rejected.  Rather, Abraham accepts this role, and calls the rich man son -- showing himself to be compassionate towards this most wretched of human beings.   Moreover, the great gulf, we are to understand, is not a geographical divide, but rather it is the complete separation between virtue and wickedness.  This is a separation that is not overcome after death.  We must also note that torments haven't changed this rich man's heart.  He still sees Lazarus as a servant who exists for the sake of his personal comfort.  Additionally, my study bible asks us to note that Christ's story reveals the communion of the saints.  A man, who is not even a believer, calls out from Hades and converses with St. Abraham!

"Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'  Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'  And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'  But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"  My study bible teaches that some Fathers see this parable being set after the final judgment, citing for reference the punishment and reward being received by the two men respectively.  But others see this parable set at a time after death, but before the second coming of Christ -- evidenced by this rich man interceding on behalf of his brothers who are still living.  The torment that he is experiencing here is therefore a foretaste of his final state.  In this perspective, we're taught by Jesus that the souls of the departed are aware and concerned for the state of those who are still alive on earth (see 9:30-31; Matthew 2:18; 2 Maccabees 15:12-16).  Also let us note that the parable teaches that the intercession of a wicked person are heard, although they do not avail anything, especially in light of a contradictory truth (contrast to the prayers of the righteous in James 5:16).  

Let us consider the topsy-turvy nature of the outcome in life, and in "afterlife," for this rich man and for Lazarus.  Interestingly, the story is not told from the perspective of Lazarus but rather from the rich man's perspective, so that we might more clearly understand his suffering and the surprise nature of his "upending" through the justice that prevails in the afterlife.  Clearly, it is addressed to the Pharisees, and we have already been told by way of introduction (in yesterday's reading) that the Pharisees were lovers of money.  One thing Jesus is obviously trying to do is to contrast their love of material goods with something a little less tangible; that is, with the goods of the kingdom, which is righteousness.  Righteousness would particularly include behavior that stems from mercy, acts of compassion, a right-relatedness that begins with the consideration of the two great commandments (Matthew 22:36-40), which first teach love of God, and link this to love of neighbor.  Today's parable is rare, in that it gives us a glimpse into life after life in this world, and also the perspective of the rich man.  One thing we can read into this story is the sure warning regarding just how many "chances" we have to grasp at the spiritual truth of Christ's teachings.   Abraham starkly tells the rich man, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead."  And we the present readers of the Gospel, and those who first heard the Gospel, know the name of Lazarus as one who did rise from the dead -- as well as Christ Himself.  This is, after all, a story about the power of testimony, but also about our response to testimony and witnessing.  Lazarus himself, the friend of Jesus (John 11), served as a testimony to all in Jerusalem regarding the kingdom of God and the Person of Jesus Christ.  Additionally, this topsy-turvy circumstance, in which the tables are turned against the rich man, is not something new at all to the context of the Scriptures.  In the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10), she declares that she smiles at her enemies.  The proud and the arrogant will be judged by God, the barren will bear seven, the hungry will cease to hunger.  In words that could be written purely for this story of the rich man and Lazarus, Hannah declares, "The Lord kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up.  The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the beggar from the ash heap, to set them among princes and make them inherit the throne of glory" (1 Samuel 2:6-8).  Importantly, we can see reflections of Hannah's song in the song of Mary, the Mother of God.  This song is popularly known by the first word of the Latin version, Magnificat, found here in Luke's Gospel at 1:46-55.  It is Mary's song of praise to the Lord.  In Mary's song, the Lord has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts; He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree.  Moreover, the Lord has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich have been sent away empty.  The songs of both Hannah and Mary reflect an understanding of the work of the Lord, and the power of the Lord.  In the story of the rich man, we are given the perspective of one of the mighty who have been cast down, so to speak.  It is a prophetic warning by Christ to the Pharisees.  What is possibly the most distinguishing feature in terms of its impact on a listening audience is that there is a limit to warnings, and possibly even to grace, if you will, in the sense that rejection counts for something.  A rejection of God's word is a turning away from a gift, the spurning of truth.  This prophetic truth is not an endless supply of time and again chances like buying a ticket in a lottery.  Rather, prophecy and the word of God counts for something, because they are given in what God considers to be the appropriate time -- and so, our rejection also counts for something.  It is a question of how seriously we take our spiritual state, and how seriously we take God.  As faithful Christians, we are used to hearing about the infinite and inestimable nature of God's grace.  Repentance is something that will always catch the ear of God, and our prayers are always heard.  But we should keep in mind that Jesus is speaking to the religious experts, the Pharisees, those with the responsibility for upholding, teaching, and maintaining the faith for the people.  Here, the evocation of prophecy is what is important, and consistent with Jesus' teaching of the parable of the vineyard owner who repeatedly sends servants and finally his only son to the vinedressers who produce no fruits from his vineyard (Luke 20:9-19).  In this important sense, the story of Lazarus and the rich man is a teaching about how we receive spiritual understanding and the work of God among us, particularly through prophecy, and of course the word of Christ the Son.  It is a reminder that we might find ourselves suddenly in a "topsy-turvy" place, where God's intervention in the world reverses our own certainties.

You cannot serve God and mammon

 

 "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?  No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.  The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.  

 

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."

 

- Luke 16:10–17 (18) 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.  Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?  And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"  My study bible declares here that the test as to whether God will bestow heavenly blessings (true riches) on a person is directly related to how one spends one's money.  The money that we consider to be our own is actually another man's -- that is, belonging to God, or at least to the poor.  It says that in the patristic tradition there is a universal understanding that a person's failure to give money to God's work is stealing.  St. Theophan calls it "nothing less than embezzlement of money belonging to someone else."  

"No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon."    Here Jesus lays out what is seemingly a rare division of the world into competing opposites.  But the truth is that He is expressing the idea that God's way of thinking and being, and therefore our participation in God's kingdom, is quite different from a perspective based on pure materialism and without God.  In true participation in this kingdom, we have a perspective on our wealth and possessions that comes from our faith, and what Jesus is demonstrating clearly here is the stark difference between a life with the perspective of faith and a perspective without it.  What Christ is laying out is the total incompatibility and contradiction within these two perspectives.  One view the world and all that is in it from the perspective of faith in a God who created it and dwells within it and among us; the other is a purely materialist perspective minus the dimension of spiritual reality. 

Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they derided Him.  And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.  For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."  My study bible tells us that the things which are highly esteemed among men include money, power, position, and praise.  Again, continuing His comment regarding loyalty to God or to mammon, Jesus lays out the difference in perspective between that which is illumined by faith in God and that which is not, when He says that "what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God."   This leads us to understand that the justification "before men" -- that is before the society of human beings -- tends to be focused purely on the material, and misses the perspective of faith in the reality of God's presence.

"The law and the prophets were until John.  Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.  And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail."   With Jesus' Baptism by John, the fulfillment of the law and the prophets has emerged into a new covenant of faith in the gospel of the kingdom of God, as preached by Christ.   In this context, we are given to understand that an understanding of justice and righteousness also must be given within this new context of the gospel of the Kingdom.

"Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery."  Some might think this statement seems out of context.  In reality of the time in which Christ speaks, the hotly contested topic of divorce also revolved around rulings which concerned themselves with monies which accompanied marriage, and their transfer through divorce -- even manipulation of the law through divorce and remarriage merely for acquisition of this money.  Christ frames marriage in the context of the gospel of the Kingdom, teaching the heavenly perspective regarding marriage, and not merely based on material considerations from a purely earthly understanding of the institution of marriage.   On this basis, the Church understands holy matrimony as a sacrament.

In thinking about marriage, it strikes me that in the entire context of the Scriptures, marriage has been understood as that which unites Creator and creature, and especially God and God's people.  Infidelity is used frequently to describe the actions of an unfaithful people; as such metaphors of prostitution, adultery, and harlotry have accompanied prophetic calls to the people to come back to their faith.  This "unfaithfulness" has also been seen in the Old Testament context as that which is responsible for so many of the misfortunes of Israel throughout its spiritual history.  So, in the context of Jesus' speech regarding the inability to serve both God and mammon, the image of marriage is an important one, as Jesus is calling us to a fidelity of faith in God, and a rejection of serving and allying with mammon.  Our deepest need for fidelity is to God, first and foremost, and we cannot serve two masters who are divided in their aims, wills, and whole orientation to life and its purposes and functions.  Our fidelity follows Christ's "first and great commandment" given in Matthew 22:34-40:  "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  The second one, which Jesus said was "like" the first, is "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."  On these two commandments, said Jesus, hang all the Law and the Prophets.  So, if we consider marriage as the metaphor for faith -- and especially in the context of today's reading, we are taught to direct our love in a very important way.  We must seek God first, and then all these things are added unto us (Matthew 6:33).  In yesterday's reading Jesus spoke about using the things of "unrighteous mammon" to make friends for ourselves.  That is, by using our material goods in a righteous way, to feed and clothe and help those who are in need, we are able to make friends in an everlasting home.  And so, this remains true in today's reading.  We are not asked to serve unrighteous mammon, but to serve God.  But here is the key:  we may use all the good things and material potentials of this world in the ways that God asks of us, keeping ourselves in fidelity and loyalty to God first, and putting the kingdom of God first.  In this way, we serve God and God's kingdom even with all the things of this world.  Jesus puts marriage into this context when He shifts the dialogue on divorce into an awareness of a spiritual, loving purpose to marriage that is not merely material in consideration and purpose.  Let us consider that when we pray, we may place all things at our disposal into God's hand for guidance for us.  That would include anything in our possession, as well as problematic circumstances, painful personal realizations and defects, and imperfect life, and all the rest that the world of "unrighteous mammon" may somehow present to us.  Our lives are to be transfigured in the fidelity to Christ, which is the true way of the Cross.  Let us consider how all things are in God's hands, as potential for us to use our lives and to live them God's way.

 

 

 

 

And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."

 

- Luke 16:1-9 

 

 On Wednesday, we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Jesus to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  Jesus told three parables in response, illustrating God's desire to find and save those who are lost. (See the parable of the Lost Sheep, and the parable of the Lost Coin in Wednesday's reading.)  Yesterday, we read the third parable Jesus gave, that of the Prodigal Son.  He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.'   But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  And they began to be merry.  Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

 

 He also said to His disciples:  "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and an accusation was brought to him that this man was wasting his goods.  So he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you?  Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'  Then the steward said within himself, 'What shall I do?  For my master is taking the stewardship away from me.  I cannot dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I have resolved what to do, that when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.'  So he called every one of his master's debtors to him, and said to the first, 'How much do you owe my master?'  And he said, 'A hundred measures of oil.'  So he said to him, 'Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.'  Then he said to another, 'And how much do you owe?'  So he said, 'A hundred measures of wheat.'  And he said to him, 'Take your bill, and write eighty.'  So the master commended the unjust steward because he had dealt shrewdly.  For the sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home."  My study bible explains that a steward is responsible for managing his master's property and for looking after the welfare of his servants.   It says that the point of this parable is that the unrighteous are better at using money to make friends in the world than believers are at using money to make friends for the Kingdom of God -- which is accomplished by spending it on the needy.  At death (when you fail) the needy will welcome those who have helped them into the everlasting home.

 

 Jesus teaches us to "make friends by unrighteous mammon."  Well, first of all, the unrighteous mammon already tells us something.  Why would Jesus even want us to commerce in something unrighteous in the first place?  In this parable, Jesus teaches us that it is possible to live in this world, even with its unrighteousness, and yet use the goods of the world for righteousness.  The way that this happens is to consider those who are "less than," who are in need in some sense, and to consider using what we have -- even if it's used by others in sinful ways -- to act in righteousness, to help, to act the God does, graciously.  This is what it is to be righteous, to act as a just person.  So often we think of justice as that which is exactly and precisely measured:  "an eye for an eye," for example (Exodus 21:24).   (We often forget that this aspect of the Law was a way to set a limit on vengeance in the context of the stories of the Bible.)   In terms of bookkeeping and numbers and money, we expect that there is a precise debt which also must be paid precisely.  But every good money manager knows and understands that in order to keep good relations with clients, there must be flexibility involved.  That keeps clients in good stead, and returning.  But Jesus takes all of this understanding one step further.  Essentially He adds in the understanding that there is life that is beyond this world, a life in which what is measured up about us isn't whether or not we traded well, or even about how exact and scrupulous we were about our debts.  There's another step, and another dimension involved, and that is the aspect of how we are capable of grace, and what that does to make friends in heaven, so to speak.  Our ability to reconcile gracious help to others, not out of compunction or legalistic understanding but out of our own capacity to be like our Creator, connects us to another dimension of reciprocity.  It connects us to a cosmos of the visible and invisible, and a communion of faithful that goes beyond what we see and what we know.  Jesus is encouraging us to understand that life isn't limited to the accounting books that are right in front of us, and this can apply to life in so many dimensions.  The kind gesture or act we do today for someone may never be repaid in kind, but we can be certain that it counts with God, and there is recognition where value is meaningful.  The generosity we expend in any direction with the things of this world -- be that a gesture of kindness in the form of charity, goods, or goodwill -- is not lost simply because it is not repaid in worldly terms.  Our goodwill may be extended also through advocacy for those who are helpless to protect and defend themselves -- and the political realm surely includes unrighteous mammon as something we may use for God's true justice through mercy and compassion.  Christ encourages us to think in terms of a much broader perspective on the spectrum of life itself, and in terms of our own communion of friends.  To include not merely that which is "on earth," but also that which is "in heaven," is indeed a broadening of our perspective on all the places our lives touch and will touch.  But this is, in the eyes of Christ, the appropriate perspective, the right calculation in life.  In broadening one's thinking to include this realm, one might also consider what it means to pray for others who have passed, maintaining a connection begun in this world and extending to the realm of heaven, in which we are still able to give something through our prayers.  Let us consider all the ways that we may make an everlasting home -- even, through Christ's instruction, using unrighteous mammon to do so. 

It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found

 

 Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."

 

* * *

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living.  But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.  

 

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father.  But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "

"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet.  And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  And they began to be merry.  

Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"

 

- Luke 15:1–2, 11–32 

 

Yesterday we read that all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Christ to hear Him.  And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, "This Man receives sinners and eats with them."  So he spoke this parable to them, saying:  "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it?  And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.  And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'  I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance.  Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it?  And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!'  Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." 

Then He said:  "A certain man had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.'  So he divided to them his livelihood.  And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with prodigal living."  My study bible comments that regarding the son's request for his portion of goods, the  original Greek word used here for "goods" or property is ousia/οὐσίας, which literally means "essence" or "substance."  That "portion of goods" or "substance" that human beings receive from God is our free will and rational mind.  This is what makes us made "in the image and likeness of God."  So, as Adam did in Eden, the younger son uses these possessions to rebel against his father.  The far country represents life in exile from God. 

"But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want.  Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine.  And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything."  To feed swine is, for this man, something my study bible says could be called "Jewish Skid Row."  In popular parlance, he's hit rock bottom.  He could not sink much lower.

"But when he came to himself, he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Make me like one of your hired servants."'  And he arose and came to his father."  There is a great revelation in this language in the Gospel, that the son came to himself.  My study bible comments that a person immersed in sin is living outside his true self (Romans 7:17-20).  Here, this recognition comes with the realization of his hopeless condition.  The bread of the father's hired servants is symbolic of Christ, known to us both through the Scriptures and the Eucharist (John 6:51). 

 

"But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.  And the son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "  Although it was considered unseemly in Jewish culture for an old man to run, this father does not passively stand by and wait for his son to return.  Instead, He ran to him.  My study bible points out that this self-humiliation for the sake of the lost is an illustration of the way in which God our Father, through the sacrifice of Christ himself, actively seeks those who stray.  This is a love that is ashamed of nothing in pursuit of the beloved who is lost, in order to be returned and found again.

"But the father said to his servants, 'Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet."  The significance of the robe is explained by my study bible as righteousness granted by baptism (Isaiah 61:10).  The signet ring is family identity (Haggai 2:23).  The sandals refer to walking according to the gospel (Ephesians 6:15).  

 

"And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.  And they began to be merry."  Etymologically, the Greek for fatted calf is more closely translated "wheat-fed bull-calf," or even more literally as "a bull-calf formed from wheat."  My study bible suggests that this is a male calf which is raised on wheat, in preparation for use as a religious offering.   It notes that as the reconciliation of the prodigal son was not complete without the sacrifice of the calf, so man's reconciliation to God is not by repentance alone, but by Christ offering Himself on the Cross.  The festive dining on an animal offering which is "formed from wheat" is clearly a reference to our partaking of the eucharistic bread.  See also Matthew 22, verse 4, in the context of the wedding feast.

"Now his older son was in the field.  And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing.  So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him, 'Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.'  But he was angry and would not go in.  Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him.  So he answered and said to his father, 'Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.  But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.'  And he said to him, 'Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.  It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.'"   As Jesus is addressing the Pharisees (see verses 1 and 2 at the top of today's reading), the resentful older son is an illustration of their hardheartedness regarding the sinners who now dine with Jesus and become His disciples.  My study bible cites the commentary of St. Cyril of Alexandria, that God asks followers to rejoice when even the most blamable person is called to repentance.  He tells the father, "I never transgressed your commandment at any time."  This is reminiscent of the Pharisees, for whom scrupulous following of commandments found in the Scriptures was all-important, developing a legalistic perspective of faith.  My study bible says that the failure of the older son to recognize his own sins leads to his self-righteous and merciless attitude.   This is in contrast to the contrition of the younger son.  St. Ambrose of Milan comments, "The one who seems to himself to be righteous, who does not see the beam in his own eye, becomes angry when forgiveness is granted to one who confesses his sin and begs for mercy."  My study bible also notes that the older son's ingratitude is apparent in his charge to his father that "you never gave me a young goat."  Clearly, his father has given him all he has (verse 31). 

For what are we grateful?  For many of us, this year has been one of many trials, and even losses.  We have been contending with the COVID-19 virus and its restrictions on movements, gatherings, work places, employment, and so many other things.  Personal friends have lost loved ones in a shockingly quick time, and are contending with the grief for the person lost to them, and shock at the outcome upon otherwise healthy people.  Whole societies, of course, have gone into lockdown.  We cope also with the strangeness of elections during this time, and the uncertainty that continues around that.  Moreover, there are those of us contending with horrible warfare of a terribly aggressive nature, including Christians of various denominations in the Middle East, as well as other religious and ethnic minorities.  For the Armenian people and the generations recovering from 20th century genocide, there is a dire threat of a repeat of the same, and also the loss of precious culture and historical monuments.  These are mostly religious in nature, including a monastery that dates back to Apostolic times. This is, unfortunately, a case of the strong against the weaker and smaller, an aggressor with no qualms regarding targeting those who are helpless.  In such a time and with such feelings of loss on so many fronts this year, we may find it hard to be grateful to God for anything that we have.  But -- even as illustrated by this parable and so much else in the Bible and especially the Gospels -- we so often forget that our faith teaches us that God works through the small.  When we take time to be grateful for what we do have, to count even our blessings that remain to us, we set ourselves in the right place to approach God.  Those whose ancestors survived a genocide to thrive in new communities must recognize the goodness of what came out of those generations of survivors, their faith, their heritage, their resilience.  And, as a gift from Christ, all of this comes out of our Christian faith, for it is in our faith that we know Resurrection comes.  If we sit down to count the great blessings of rich heritage and culture, especially in the struggles of the Church and the art that came out of it, we know that we found "who we are."  If we recognize the love we find and know in our communities, and the choice for humane values, even for democracy, education, culture, and so many good things embraced even as a result of our faith, we have so much that is precious to be grateful for.  It sets us in the right place to understand who we are.  We remain those people -- no matter where we are in the world as faithful -- who are grateful for the blessing of the robe of baptism, the signet ring of the house of Christ, and the sandals through which we may follow His path.  Most of all, we know the Father's love, the One who always searches for us through all things and wants us close -- and in that "most of all" is especially Christ the Son, who gave His life for us and taught us the way of the Cross.  It is in this way that we find ourselves, and through which we remain most grateful.  Life is not about the working of evil in this world.  It is rather about the good that comes through even the evil, the Resurrection that is assured by way of the Cross.  Let us remember who we are, and not lose our place in the grand scheme of the cosmos, which is the salvation we have seen and known, and will continue to put our faith into even at this time.  For at the Cross, what is lost will be found in the promise of Christ.