Psalm Reflection: The Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

“I will rise and go to my father.” - Psalm 51

God’s love does not make sense. By our modern standards, the scales do not balance, and when that does not happen we question, become afraid, or try to rationalize God’s love away.

Next to Jesus dying for us on the cross, the Gospel reading this week (Luke 15:1-32) is one of the best example’s in the entire Bible of how God’s love goes far beyond our human understanding.

A shepherd would not leave ninety-nine good sheep in a dangerous situation to go and save one. A woman would not party with her neighbors over finding a lost coin, if she even bothered to look for it in the first place. A Jewish father with a rebellious son had the right to stone him to death according to the law (Deuteronomy 21:15-21), so a warm welcome with a feast seems even more far-fetched.

That is because God’s love is beyond normal reasoning.

I have a friend who is much older than me and came to me with an idea. He wanted to move to an apartment in a busy complex, and turn his living room into a prayer space to evangelize and allow others to come in and pray. He would leave the door unlocked throughout the day for people to come and go as they pleased.

Now, you are probably thinking what I was thinking: what about the potential danger? What if someone takes advantage, robs him, or even tries to hurt him? He had expressed no worry or concern whatsoever about any of this, because he is someone who embodies the relentless and passionate love of God for others, no matter the cost. He knew that no matter how far away others might be from the Lord, they needed to know that the door home was always open.

This week’s Responsorial Psalm comes from Psalm 51, a famous prayer of repentance by King David after being confronted for his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and his responsibility for the death of her husband. Despite these wicked actions, David knew that the love of God is so ridiculously extravagant that He could always repent and come home.

When we are confronted with our own sins we can often push back and blame God or others because we are afraid of being seen as weak, vulnerable, or imperfect. We may even run further away from God because we cannot handle the fact that He continues to love us despite our constant rejection of Him.

It reminds me of those videos you see of people rescuing dogs who have been mistreated, abused, or abandoned. The rescuer wants to help the dog get clean, healthy and provide a home where it can be safe, loved and fed. The dog, however, is so used to being treated one way that they only know how to respond with fear. The rescuer has to be very patient, approach very slowly, and spend a lot of time just getting the dog to trust them enough to let them help, or else the dog might attack to protect itself.

The same is true for us. When we experience God’s unfathomable love for us, we can sometimes attack out of fear. We can put up walls because of difficulties we have with trust or ways we have been hurt by others in the past. The good news is that God is patient and will never stop pursuing us. He hopes that one day we will be able to open ourselves up enough to encounter His love and let it transform us. One day we will be able to have a new home in Him.

This week, let God love you. Imagine that you are a work of art in a museum and that Jesus, the artist, is showing you off to everyone who comes in. He is delighting in every single color and shade that makes up your life and personality. He does not see the imperfections or doubts that you see, He sees only the beauty of what He created.

We are all lost, broken, or far from home in some way. Let the Lord pursue you and find you. The first rule of being lost is to stay in one place. So, let God love you this week in a silent, still place of prayer. Go to Adoration, a chapel, or somewhere outside where there is no noise or distraction, and simply let God scoop up the scared stray dog in you and bring you home to be loved.

I am praying for you this week, please pray for me, and I will see you in the Eucharist!

Matt