BÁNH SỰ SỐNG 24TH SUNDAY -C

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Category: 4. Bánh Sự Sống

A Call to Compassion

By VũDuy Quang

The theme of the readings, especially the Gospel, in 24th Sunday Ordinary Time is about compassion of God toward His people and, in return, God has called all people in His family to show compassion toward each other. Jesus, in the Gospel, said: “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repentsthan over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance” (Luke 15:7).

I wonder who ninety-nine righteous people might be. Surely, I know that I am not a righteous person because I am human and I am prone to fall. I don’t know anyone who considers himself or herself as a righteous person. If there is a righteous person, that person should be an angel or a saint or that person might falsely believe in himself or herself as a righteous person. Thus, it is clear to me that there is no such righteous person such as saint or angel living on earth although there might be someone considered as holy person who is not perfect and might make mistake yet intendedly living a holy life.

Incarnated God in Jesus reveals His love and compassion toward all human kind as sinners. God loves sinners as human who are prone to fall, and God calls all human kind as sinners to turn away from their sins in order to trust in God’s compassion and return to Him. Jesus said “All sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be forgiven unto men" (Matthew 12:31). Sinners who consistently refuse God Himself and His forgiveness and stubbornly stay in their state of sins condemn themselves. In God, there are only compassion and forgiveness without condemnation. God condemns no one. Jesus said to the woman who had been caught at the very act of adultery: “Neither do I condemn you; go and from now on sin no more” (John 8:11).

Jesus invites His followers in Matthew’s gospel: “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt 5:48). Perfect, in Hebrew’s language, means compassion “be compassionate just as your Father in heaven is compassionate” (Luke 6: 36). Perfect, in conventional definition, means “without making any mistake.” No human being is perfect because human can make mistake easily at any time; yet human being can be compassionate as God is. “Perfect” in Matthew’s gospel does not mean becoming like God without making any mistake. “Perfect” in Matthew’s gospel invites God’s believers becoming like God in His compassion: “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Mt 5:45).

 

God shows his love and compassion toward conservative as well as liberal, Republicans as well as Democrats, pro-life as well as pro-choice. God’s love and compassion include everyone without boundary, limitation, exclusion or condemnation. Although God loves every human being as sinners, God cannot accept an act of sin done by sinners such as abortion, death penalty, separation of children at the border, violence, abuse, war, the painless killing of a patient (euthanasia), human trafficking and any other sinful act can be. Therefore, everyone is loved by God; yet not everyone will be in union with God not because God rejects or condemns them but because they reject God and their sins condemn them.

In fact, many people, who are living in their sins, probably have not known that they have sinned because of circumstance that causes them to sin or because of lack of knowledge and intention. Jesus on the cross asked God to forgive those who persecuted Him because “they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23: 34).

I have realized that God speaks to me personally in this Sunday readings to share God’s love and compassion that I have received from God to everyone in my daily lifein spite of his or her differences although I might not agree with everyone in everything and I might not get along with everyone in any situation. God calls me to live in solidarity, harmony and tolerance with everyone regardless of their mistakes and differences which might trouble me because I myself also have my own mistakes and differences that might trouble others as well.

Lastly, in God there are only compassion and redemption without condemnation so who am I to judge anyone when God judges and condemns no one.

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