Homily at Sion Community during the CCRS Evangelisation Course for the anticipated Mass of the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C.
Your sheep has been incapacitated.
Your sheep has been sentenced.
Your sheep has perished.
Your sheep has been destroyed.
Your sheep has been damned to hellfire for eternity.
That sounds a bit more dramatic than “Your sheep is lost”, doesn’t it!
In today’s Gospel, St Luke speaks of a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son, always using the Greek word apollymi. That’s a strong word – with all the harsh shades of meaning I’ve just used.
St Matthew also recounts a parable of a lost sheep but he uses a gentler word which means “wanders off”. Here, St Luke has gathered together three stories where Our Lord is seriously warning us of the road to destruction – but there’s hope! The perishing sheep is not irrecovably destroyed or damned to Hell; it is still possible for the good shepherd to rescue it.
Three weeks ago, we heard Christ warn us to enter by the narrow door, for many who think their place in heaven is secure will not make it. Two weeks ago we heard his invitation that when we throw a party, we should invite those who cannot return the favour. These sayings reach a climax in today’s lesson – because there is more in today’s Gospel than is first apparent.
What kind of lost person is today’s Gospel speaking of? Among evangelical Christians, it’s common to speak of “the lost” to mean the “unsaved”, those who have never responded to Christ’s saving message, or even heard it. But all three of today’s parables are about the loss of something which already had a place – in the flock, in the coin collection, in the Father’s house.
Should we then think of those who once attended Mass but no longer do so? The famous Church of the Nativity in Timonium expressed its mission statement as: “Welcome the Lost & Grow Disciples.” Fifteen years ago it purposefully focussed on attracting a generation of non-churchgoing middle-aged men who had been raised Catholic and increased its congregation from 1500 to 4000! Certainly it is good to help those who never attended Mass to connect again, but simply coming to Mass doesn’t make a person a disciple. Today’s Gospel might inspire us to reach out to non-churchgoing Catholics, but the focus is more subtle than that.
What happens when the lost is found? In each of today’s parables, the finder throws a party. Something that gets lost in translation is that the woman who finds her drachma invites her female friends – you could say, her women’s fellowship – to come and celebrate. And of course, the lost coin is not really a coin. A drachma is an item of value which bears a human face; it represents a lost person. A lost woman is restored to fellowship, just as the prodigal son is welcomed back into the Father’s house. Unlike his elder brother, that son knew that all his Father’s wealth belonged to him; he chose to take the money and run far away from home.
The story of that son makes it clear that the “lost” we are restoring here are sinners, people whose choice of lifestyle or burden of shame has separated them from the community of believers. Remember why Jesus is telling these parables – he’s having a meal with tax-collectors and other “sinners”, causing the scribes and Pharisees to complain about his behaviour. But should we be surprised? When Jesus has a meal, he invites those who cannot repay the favour, those who don’t believe they should be there at all.
There are many reasons that people drift away from Church practice. Some never had strong roots in the first place. Others enter a time of intellectual doubts. But today’s message is strongly focussed on sinners – people who believe they cannot be forgiven, or who lack the courage to ask. And we are called to reach out to them. What kind of woman, or what kind of shepherd, would we be if we failed to do that?
If you spend a lot of time online, you may have seen this meme:
Person: I want to do “X.”
Catholic Church: You are free to do it.
Person: But you think “X” is wrong.
Catholic Church: Yes.
Person: Because you want to control me?
Catholic Church: No. You are free to do what you want.
Person: But you think “X” is wrong.
Catholic Church: Yes. But only because I want your ultimate good.
Person: But I want to do “X.”
Catholic Church: You are free to do it.
Person: But I want you to say that is good.
Catholic Church: I cannot say that.
Person: Why do you hate me?
It sums up the terrible dilemma we have as Catholics. We proclaim that certain actions are always wrong, so many people feel alienated. But at the same time we want to speak of God’s mercy and the possibility of restoration for anyone who has gone astray.
Our minds might turn immediately to abortion, or remarriage after divorce, or the pursuit of same-sex attraction. But not all sources of shame are connected with sexual behaviour. Eating disorders, attempted suicide, serious involvement with occult activities – there are a myriad reasons why someone who was once a follower of Christ might wrongly believe there is no path to restoration.
Such persons are not going to hear Sunday sermons or simply turn up at a parish penitential service. The only way to restore such lost souls is through a good shepherd or a wise woman who takes the time to come alongside them with love and friendship. The only way to overcome that “Why do you hate me?” Mentality is with genuine love.
Jesus ate with tax-collectors and sinners; we should not be afraid to draw near to persons whose lifestyle is far from Christian. It’s true that the Bible does speak of situations where you “cut off” a person from fellowship, but that’s where a person is stridently insisting that their sinful behaviour is consistent with Christian living. Here, rather, we are speaking of the work of reaching out to someone who knows their lifestyle has fallen short of a follower of Christ. We see the same advice given by the apostle Jude (22-23):
When there are some who have doubts reassure them; when there are some to be saved from the fire, pull them out; but there are others to whom you must be kind with great caution, keeping your distance even from outside clothing which is contaminated by vice.
So take a moment to think about your network of friends and family members.
Who is your lost sheep? Who is your one in the midst of the 99?
Who was once an active member of the church but has been distanced by sin or shame? You know what God expects you to do. It will take time. It may take repeated efforts, some of which are rebuffed. But every attempt to love is an act of love. So take a moment now and ask God to make clear where you should focus your loving outreach in the coming weeks…
We know how the story ends.
Your sheep has been pardoned.
Your sheep has been restored.
Your sheep has been snatched from the fires of hell and restored to eternal happiness.
Now that’s a reason for angels to throw a party. But you are the one who must first invite someone who can’t return the favour. The next move is on you!
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