A Shout of Praise

“Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.” // Luke 15:22-24

A few years ago, a dear friend disclosed a surprising detail of his life with me that made me stop and stare. He glanced back at me and said, “Oh, don’t worry about me! I still plan on going to Heaven! I’m just taking a different route than you are.”

And with that, he ushered me into a humbling understanding of God’s mercy.

Some of us have used every gift, fruit, and charism of the Holy Spirit to fight against temptation and sin, to stay on the narrow road. And for that, we give God a shout of praise!

And yet, some of us have taken every back road, sketchy alley, and self-guided tour of sin and have found our way back to Jesus. And for that, we give God a shout of praise!

Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel from Luke 15, after the Pharisees complain that He is eating with known sinners, that there is only need for rejoicing when a sinner comes back to Him.

Our human frailty, like that of the older son, might be indignant toward such mercy. Rather than being annoyed with the Lord, let’s give praise to God for every lost child who comes home, for those who are still finding their way, and for ourselves to whom He has been merciful towards in our very own time of need.

Give praise to God. // Chika AnyanwuClick to tweet

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