◇◇◇◇ His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him,

threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. ◇◇◇◇

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊  

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12

Then Yahweh said to Joshua:

“Today I have removed from you the shame of Egypt.” The Israelites encamped in Gilgal where they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho.

On the following day, they ate of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain on that very day. And from that day on when they ate of the procuce of the land, the manna ceased.

There was no more manna for the Israelites, and that year they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan.

 

Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Taste and see the goodness f the Lord.

 

 ＊＊＊ 2nd Reading ＊＊＊

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

 For that same reason, the one who is in Christ is a new creature. For him the old things have passed away; a new world has come.  All this is the work of God who in Christ reconciled us to himself, and who entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation.  

 Because in Christ God reconciled the world with himself, no longer taking into account their trespasses and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

 So we present ourselves as ambassadors in the name of Christ, as if God himself makes an appeal to you through us. Let God reconcile you; this we ask you in the name of Christ.  He had no sin, but God made him bear our sin, so that in him we might share the holiness of God.

 

＊＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊＊ 

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Meanwhile tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law frowned at this, muttering, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."

So Jesus told them this parable: "There was a man with two sons. The younger said to his father, 'Give me my share of the estate.' So the father divided his property between them.

Some days later, the younger son. gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land, where he squandered his wealth in loose living. Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land.

So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place, and was sent to work on a pig farm. So famished was he, that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything.

Finally coming to his senses, he said, "How many of my father's hired workers have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will get up and go back to my father, and say to him, Father, I have sinned against God, and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants. With that thought in mind, he set off for his father's house.

He was still a long way off, when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. The son said, 'Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.

But the father turned to his servants: 'Quick!' he said. "Bring out the finest robe and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! Take the fattened calf and kill it! We shall celebrate and have a feast, for this son of mine was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found!" And the celebration began.

Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and approached the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. The servant answered, "Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration, and killed the fattened calf. The elder son became angry, and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him.

The son, very indignant, said, 'Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours returns, after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him!"

The father said, 'My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life; he was lost, and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad."

 

 Gospel Reflection：

Lectio Divina.

Healing the Shame

Read: Yahweh removes the "shame of Egypt" from the Israelites. Christ takes over our shame in order to shape us into new creatures, sharing in the holiness of God. The Father of the prodigal and parsimonious sons seeks to heal and redeem them.

Reflect: Our strength can be our greatest shame. The strength of the younger son was his sensuousness, the ability to celebrate life. However, it was an unredeemed eros, harming himself and everyone around.

When he returns, trying (clumsily) to be more rational, the Father waves away his reasoning and orders a feast, the language of eros that makes his son feel at home; and in the process teaches him how to celebrate life redemptively.

The elder son was all reason, but unredeemed as well, only serving to alienate himself from others. With him, the Father engages in a redeemed reasoning, teaching him to heal wounds and build bridges.

Pray: Ask God to heal the shame that surrounds your core strength and make it redemptive for yourself and others.

Act: What is your core strength? Has it become your Achilles' heel? If yes, pray as above. If no, say a thanksgiving prayer.