Readings: Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Luke 15:1-32
24th Sunday of the Year
September 16, 2001
A few days ago, in the midst of our national tragedy, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell stunned the American people by proclaiming that we deserved this attack because of our sins. In an appearance on Pat Robertson's TV program "The 700 Club," Falwell blamed the attacks on pagans, abortionists, feminists, homosexuals, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the People for the American Way. "All of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen.'" He later added, "God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve." [Source: article by Associated Press writer Chris Kahn]
When I heard about this, I was livid! And, having lost at least three persons who are dear to me in Tuesday's attack on the World Trade Center, I was deeply hurt.
Today's scripture readings assure us that this is not our God. If Mr. Falwell would open his bible to today's texts, he would find there a very different God than the cruel, vindictive one he proclaims. These readings show us a God who is full of mercy and compassion. We often refer to today's gospel parable as that of the "Prodigal Son." The dictionary defines prodigal as "rashly or wastefully extravagant." Hold on to that thought.
In the reading from Exodus, it is clear that God is angry. In fact, he's so mad that he uses language much like many parents do when they are mad at one of their children. They say to their spouse, "Did you know what your son or your daughter did today?" as if the child is not also theirs. Similarly, God says to Moses, Go down at once to your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved." God threatens to consume them with his wrath. Up to this point, it might almost seem like Jerry Falwell has scripture on his side. But that is not where the text ends. Moses pleads for divine mercy, and God decides to relent. Indeed, over and over again we see in the Jewish scriptures a pattern of divine mercy superseding divine wrath.
We need to make one thing clear: it is wrong to think of an Old Testament God of judgment and wrath vs. a New Testament God of love and mercy. Although I won't review the details of it here (unless you want to be here all day!), the scriptures show us an evolution in the understanding of God that took place over time. It is not as if God began as a vindictive judge and later became loving and merciful. But over time, the Jewish people matured in their concept of God. The Exodus reading reflects this. Jesus inherited a concept of God that included the idea of "prodigal" or extravagant mercy.
Similarly, in our second reading, Paul describes his gratitude for being a recipient of God's mercy-yes, Paul, he who had persecuted Jesus's followers and then became one.
In our gospel text today, we can say that the son was "prodigal" in wasting his inheritance; but the father outdid him in prodigality by showing extravagant forgiveness and overflowing joy when his wayward son returned. The older son, by contrast, was not prodigal. He did things by the book, he followed the rules, he was a "good" son-but he was stingy in his attitudes, showing a refusal to forgive his brother or to welcome him home. Whether his attitude changed after his father's pleading, the text does not say.
How often are we stingy about forgiveness and mercy? In today's readings, God shows us a higher way of dealing with the wrongs that are done to us. God challenges us to be like him, extravagant in forgiveness and mercy. That is perhaps a hard message for us to hear right now. It is certainly hard for me. I am not feeling in a very forgiving mood as I weep over the senseless massacre of thousands of people, including at least three of my own loved ones.
In the weeks ahead we will all be hearing the gospel in a new way. We will see how radical and counter-cultural the gospel is, in ways that we never saw before. How we should apply today's readings to our current situation is difficult to say. We are certainly called to break, not to perpetuate, the cycle of violence in our world today, and that makes me deeply distressed about some of the vengeful talk I am hearing right now. The Word of God stands in tension with our desire, understandable though it may be, to strike back with full force at our attackers.
One thing is for sure: God did not cause this catastrophe to happen because of our sins, whatever they may be. Indeed, I believe with all my heart that God weeps with us as we witness the horrible extent of human hatred and cruelty in our world. Our task as Christians is to imitate God's own way of acting, by working to build a world where love and mercy, and not hatred and cruelty, are extravagantly on display.
Dennis E. Tamburello, O.F.M.
Delivered the weekend after the terrorist attack on the USA (Sept. 11, 2001).