Homily

October 1,2017

26a

Fr O’Grady

Did you ever get a second chance? How did you feel? We’ve all received second, or third or fourth or more chances in life.

-Maybe when in school when you were failing, the teacher said “well just do extra credit and that will help you pass”.

-Perhaps the first job you held and you really made a big mistake but boss said: “We all make mistakes, I did same at our age.. don’t worry about it”

-Perhaps it was a health scare or heart condition or brush with death and now you have a second lease in life.

Many other examples but how grateful we all are when that second or third chance comes around.

Today if there were a title to the readings esp. the Gospel it would this “THE GOD OF SECONDCHANCES”.

We see this played out when Jesus tells the parable of the two brothers and how they responded to their father’s request to work in the vineyard. One son responded positively saying, “I am on my way sir” But he never went to the vineyard. The other responded negatively,saying, “No I will not”. But later he changed his mind. And as Jesus said, “Which one did the Father’s will?” They all answered, “ the second son of course”.

The father here in story gave the second son another chance inspite of his first refusal. Jesus doesn’t put on this little quiz to see how smart Hid listeners are. He is making a real critical point about their relationship with God.

IT’S NOT WHAT YOUSAY, NOT WHAT YOU PROMISE, NOT EVEN THE BEST OF INTENTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE,, IT IS REALLY HOW YOU PUT YOUR FAITH INTO ACTION REGARDLESS OF WHAT YOU SAID OR DID NEGATIVELY IN THE PAST.

Ultimately this is a lesson in repentance. You stumble, you fall, you refuse, you mess up your life, you shift, you fail but God the Father is there to give a second chance, to redeem your life, if only we repent.

REPENTANCE IS REALLY HE MEANS BY WHICH WE BECOME THE PERSON GOD WANTS YOU TO BE

I like the story that tells about one far away place removed from all civilization. Rumor had it that a great prophet had arisen who worked miracles. A TV station herd about this and sent a crew to do story on this person. They got there a began to interview his disciples or followers.

“tell us what great miracles has your Master worked lately?” To which one disciple responded, “Well there are miracles and then there are miracles. In your land you just came from it a miracle if GOD DOES SOMEONE’S WILL. In our land it is regarded as a miracles if someone does the will of God.”

The great miracle is that the second son in spite of refusals to work, ultimately did his father’s will.

There is a long list of saints who did the same thing… first refused God’s call and refused to become the person God wanted them to be.

-St Augustine who took 40 years to convert after years of being away from church and faith

-St Paul who was a persecutor of Christians and became one of the greatest writers of New Testament

-St Ignatius of Loyola who was a soldier and also lived a life of excess yet converted and founded the Jesuits.

Thomas Merton who lived an empty and shallow life in his 20’s and 30’s and then ha d a conversion experience, joined the Trappist monastery and became a great spiritual master to many.

I have seen myself that some of the best clergy and counselors are those who fought the fight of addiction and through recovery are terrific with others and church.

Again, God looks not at the past but how we deal with the present. This is the MIRACLE WE ALLCAN BECOME WITH GOD’S GRACE.

Secondly, we cannot judge others by appearances for God looks at the heart.

Note what Jesus said to the Pharisees and Jewish leaders who regarded themselves as above others ( as the famous Texas saying goes, “They were all hat and no cattle”): . Jesus told them:“There are prostitutes, sinners and tax collectors ahead of you in the kingdom of God”

For like that second son although they refused God’s life at first, they repented and changed.

So today’s lesson is hopeful and simple..OUR GOD IS A GOD OF MANY CHANCES. NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE DONE OR REFUSED TO DO, GOD IS THERE TO GIVE US A NEW LEASE ON LIFE.

THIS IS THE TRUE MIRACLE.. THE MIRACLE OF A LOVING GOD AND SECOND CHANCES.