God’s Amazing Love
There was once a mother who gave birth to twin boys. As little kids, they were both cute and lively; they were her joy. But as they grew older, they turned to be monsters. They fought with each other and fought with other children. They lied, they stole and broke things deliberately. At home they are so lazy; at school they never study. They tormented all their teachers and they were mean and nasty. When things got alarming, the parents sought help from a counselor who suggested: send them to a boarding school to be reformed. But, no the mother said: “I would miss them so much if they weren’t at home.” When the counselor asked why? “Because I am their mother and I love them.” That’s the way it is with God and us.
In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us a very powerful and comforting truth: that God is a loving and forgiving Father who wants to save us through His Only Son, Jesus. He is not a cruel and punishing God but like a Good Shepherd, He goes out in search for his lost sheep. He is also like a conscientious woman who painstakingly searches her lost coin recognizing its great value and worth. God delights in the joy of finding sinners back to the fold as much as finding things of great worth that have been lost. Indeed, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. Indeed, God loves the least, the last and the lost.
Moreover, Jesus incarnated this love concretely. The gospel begins by putting us in a context. We are shown that Jesus is in the midst of a celebration; he is partying with tax collectors and sinner. Definitely, the respectable Pharisees complain! In Jesus, we experience a God who is passionately in love with us. Because of such love, he does crazy, even unreasonable things. In order to reclaim our lost inheritance, he made a decision to humble himself and become one of us. God’s love is excessive and unconditional. God’s love is a grace we need to experience deeply. Such love gives us hope. This love, in fact, becomes our daily strength never to give up.
Prayer:Lord, let me taste your amazing love so that I may be its living reflection to those who are missing it.
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