Rejoicing with Jesus
bringing our brothers to life
Announcements for September 10, 2022:
If you need anything at all, please be in touch with me.
Men's Group next meets the morning of Saturday, September 17th. Join us - you'll be thankful you did. Send me a note for more information.
A new American Heritage Girls troop is about to launch at OLMC! Join us for an open house in front of the church after the 11:00am Mass this Sunday, September 11th, and see how AHG builds “women of integrity through service to God, family, community and country!”
A visiting priest will be with us for Confession on Thursday, September 15th from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
Visit the OLMC Parishioner Portal for all of our recent announcements.
Dear Saints,
This weekend's Gospel passage gives us what many people consider to be the greatest story ever told.
Think about the Parable of the Prodigal Son. What stirs in your heart and mind as you consider that great story? Actually, why don't you let me know about it? Click on that link or just reply to this email... I'd love to hear from you.
Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son is a special book, and well worth a read. In it, he journeys through his own understanding of Jesus' parable: he identifies as the elder son, he sees himself as the younger son, and he experiences the call to become the father.
Nouwen's work is filled with gems like this one:
On the whole, Nouwen's work honors our experience of the parable. That's a good thing, to be sure, but let's see if we can take a step beyond it. In the setup for the story, we read:
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable.
To be fair, he gives them three parables. But in each (including the Parable of the Prodigal Son) he is addressing the Pharisees who are complaining that Jesus is partying with the wrong people.
What is the message Jesus has for them? Simple: God is madly, recklessly, in love with his people.
In light of that, this quote from Ricky Gervais, a well known atheist, breaks my heart:
I never understood redemption when I was young. Even before I was an atheist, I always thought with the prodigal son, "well, why's he getting the special treatment?"
The truth is that the younger son does get the special treatment, but the special treatment is also at the ready for the elder son. With the Prodigal Father - the wastefully extravagant Father - everyone gets the special treatment.
It's ours, simply, to join Jesus' party: to receive the unmerited mercy of the Father and give ourselves recklessly away in his service. More simply still, it's ours to embody God's generous love for every person we encounter, and rejoice with Jesus as he reclaims lives and raises up his fallen world.
I love you my friends, and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Christ's Peace,
Father Daniel
δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ
PS In my pastor's letter this week, I'm rejoicing in God's blessing to us of new life and young lives. Read it here.
Preparing for Mass?
Check out this weekend's readings:
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
The Return of the Prodigal Son
Rembrandt, c.1668