September 17, 2013    Martin Mallon  (Ireland)     Martin's previous articles          

(Comments welcome here)

How deep is God’s love for us?

The Gospel of Sunday 15, Luke 15:1-32, emphasises the depth of this love. Firstly, by showing the love, which seems like madness to us, of a shepherd who risks ninety-nine sheep by going after one that is lost and then holding a celebration when it is found! What love?

Secondly, by showing how a woman with ten low value coins, drachmas, spends a whole day searching for one that goes missing and invites friends and neighbours for a party when she finds it. God searches for us in the same way! This love is beyond the capacity of human love and is so deep we find it difficult to comprehend.

The third example in this Gospel is that of a lost son who takes his inheritance while his father is still alive, goes off and lives a life of debauchery only returning when the inheritance is squandered and the lost son is living in squalor. How does the father react? He runs to meet his son and throws a party of celebration his love is so deep.

Granted Jesus was telling these parables to the Pharisees and scribes to explain why he ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ Nevertheless, they demonstrate the true depth of God’s love for us and help explain why he sent his own son to save us. It also explains how Jesus was able to die for us sinners, his love for us was so strong.

Jesus told his disciples to go out and baptise the whole world in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican Council emphasised how all Christians are united by this baptism in God’s love while recognising that Jesus died for everyone. He came to save sinners and as we read in the last of the three parables in this Gospel "‘The father said, "My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found."’

Everyone must be saved, everyone must be searched for as the lost sheep and drachma were. No one must be left because they are too poor or too "disgusting" and Pope Francis has highlighted this many times since he became Pope. It must also be remembered that no one is too rich to be saved; we know how difficult it is for someone rich to be saved because Jesus told us – as tough as it is for a camel to get through the eye of a needle – but Jesus came to save everyone; can he fail?