24th Sunday Ordinary Time ( C )
INTRO:
Everyone knows Pope Francis chooses to be the kind of POPE that is a bit different than many others. There was a story that circulated about Pope Francis, whether all the details are accurate is not as important as the overall meaning.
As it is told, after his election, Pope Francis decided to live not in the PAPAL PALACE, but, in a much simpler home. He got up early one morning and opened the door to his room to find a Swiss Guard standing at attention. The Pope asked the man how long he had been standing there, and the Guard answered, “ALL NIGHT, HOLY FATHER.”
The Pope brought out a chair and told the guard to sit down because he must be tired. When the Guard responded that it was against the rules, the Pope responded, “I am the Pope, please sit.”
The Guard uncomfortably took his seat and the Pope returned to his room. A few moments later, he came out with bread and jam for the Guard and wished him, “bon appetito!”
In this weekend’s Gospel we are instructed to be on the lookout, certainly not for sheep or coins, but for:
ways to create unity and oneness in our world
By
1. showing human kindness
2. Taking opportunities to articulate God’s mercy as seen in the Father of the Prodigal Son.
In Jesus day he wanted unity among ALL people. You and I know that UNITY among ALL people today is a tall order.
Is DIS-UNITY the way we are supposed to live?
The Gospel proclaimed today multiple stories: the coin, the sheep, and the Prodigal.
In all these instances God is saying…………….we (I) need to be the initiator in finding the lost so UNITY can exist.
I see it starting with body language that speaks…. our ARMS!
Which are connected to our necks
Which is connected to our heads which HOUSES our EYES
And….the arms are right in line with our HEART.
Arms were needed to sweep. Pick up the lost sheep and embrace the wayward son.
We need to OPEN our arms wide, forget the past hurts, LET THEM GO and embrace God’s creation, the people in our families where there is DIS-UNITY.
CONCLUSION
How blest we are with JESUS CHRIST and His Real Presence, who teaches us to use our arms as He did…stretching out to the fullest on the cross. Let us imitate Him.