3rd Sunday after Pentecost (Making Reparation) At that time, the publicans and sinners, drew near unto Jesus and the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying: This man receiveth sinners and eateth with them. And He spoke to them this parable, saying: What man is there of you [and a little later] Or what woman 1. The great Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky, often repeated: men love the downfall and disgrace of the righteous. The opposite is also true. Man is always surprised and incredulous at the conversion of the wayward. And some men, like the Donatists at the time of St. Augustine, would demand they be re-baptized or (if they be a priest) re-ordained and do long public penances to prove to others that they have indeed converted. Perhaps the Pharisees and Scribes were an early form of this heresy since we heard in the Gospel for this Sunday how they were dismayed at publicans and sinners turning to the Lord. Was it Jealousy? They were not getting such conversions. Few were listening or drawing near to them. Or was it disbelief that such conversions could even happen? These self-righteous men avoided touching or coming near the unclean that is, sinners. From which we may gather, says St. Gregory the Great, that true justice (i.e., the justice of Christ) is full of compassion, while false justice (of the Pharisees) is scornful. Let us always be about the continued conversion of our souls and the salvation of the souls of others. 2. Everyone knows this parable refers to His Majesty as the Good Shepherd, and by extension, Our Lady as the Woman finding the lost coin. They both work to save souls and their efforts are never in vain. With them, in the end, there will be much rejoicing. Let us, then, be sure to enthrone and consecrate our homes and our hearts to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. And let us always be devoted to them all our life long. The Angels will rejoice!! 3. Yet, let s consider another possible meaning of the two parables we heard today, namely how repentant sinners go about converting. In the parable, we often think of the lost sheep or the lost coin as the sinner, and this is true, but perhaps, for our edification and reflection today, we might also consider those seeking the lost sheep and the lost coin as the repentant
ones. His Majesty called them man and the woman, and they are both laboring not only to save souls but to undo past mistakes. 4. What man of you that hath an hundred sheep: and if he shall lose one This man, a shepherd, somehow lost a sheep. Negligence? Selfabsorption? Did he let things go too long such that a sheep was lost? In converting, in coming to himself, in finding his way back to imitating the His Majesty, the God-MAN the shepherd of Shepherds, he seeks to correct the wrong. He now strives to fulfill his duties. What is a man s duty but to go out and do manly things, difficult and arduous tasks, great and heroic feats even. doth he not leave the ninety-nine in the desert, and go after that which was lost, until he find it? 5. What are the distinguishing marks of this manly shepherd forgetfulness of self, letting go of human prudence (what might bring him the most gain), going out to recover what was lost. Making reparation. A form of reparation is doing something right that we or others previously did wrong (e.g., Bd. James Kerns, O.Praem.). When His Majesty was dying on the Cross, what was the last temptation thrown at Him by the Pharisees, elders and scribes: Save yourself and come down from the Cross. The manly thing was to stay and die upon the Cross not saving self, but helping others. Greater love greater manliness no man hath 6. St. John Chrysostom says the mark of the apostolic life is the thirst for the salvation of souls. This mark is even in the angels of heaven as we heard in the Gospel how Angels will rejoice at even a single sinner doing penance Hmmmm. We might say, then, that the mark of a true conversion is thirsting for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. 7. Here are some other historical precedents. How did the Patriarch Joseph eventually recover his sinful brethren? He started by obeying his father to go out into the field to find his brothers and he never stopped seeking them until they were recovered. In doing so, he saved not only his brothers, but his whole family and nation. 8. On the other hand, why did King David fall in with Bathsheba? The Scriptures tell us: And it came to pass at the return of the year, at the time when kings go forth to war, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they spoiled the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabba: but David remained in Jerusalem (2Kgs 11:1). Many men are failing to go out and do their duties in our times to go forth to
war with the world, the flesh and devil and what is the result? Impurity has become a plague. Divisions result. 9. The Church, appearing as a young virginal woman to the 19 th Century Carmelite Mystic, Bd. Francis Palau, spoke thus to him: Understand this mystery: just as a captain saves himself by saving his people, so you, by saving others will save yourself; and if you do not save others, you will not save yourself. Come! to arms and let us go to battle! (Writings, p. 968). 10. Considering the second parable, note the contrast with the mention of woman: what woman having ten groats if she lose one groat, doth not light a candle, and sweep the house until she find it? Notice how the woman stays inside the home, sweeping and lighting candles praying to gain the victory! 10 coins=10 Commandments. One was broken and she made reparation to undo the wrong! 11. Again historical examples are not wanting. In the time of the Judges, Jahel killed the enemy general Sisara within her tent using a tent peg and hammer. The virginal Queen Esther conquered the enemy by providing the King a banquet. The devout Queen of France, Clotilde, stayed home while her pagan husband, King Clovis, fought battles and converted to the faith in the midst of one because of her. The great queen Isabel of Spain worked behind the scenes to make the victories of Ferdinand possible against the Muslim Moors, even personally sewing him new clothes. So effective was she that the chess piece the Queen was changed at that time to match her efforts. 12. It was the diligence of these women in prayer and home economics that won the day. All of this is captured perfectly in Our Lady whom the Saints and Doctors like Maximus the Confessor and Bonaventure explain stayed in the Upper Room in Sion (as is indicated by the Lessons for her Masses and offices in the Breviary) to help the Church in her first years. Thus, we had Pentecost and all that happened in the early Church due to Her presence in Sion. 13. I hope you see the significance: in general, the man goes out while the woman stays home. I know there are exceptions to this norm, nevertheless it remains the norm as we can plainly see in the parables
today. Traditionally, at every level in the Church, this is how things worked the priest is the missionary while the nun remains cloistered. The husband and father of the family goes out and performs arduous and difficult tasks while the wife and mother manages the home, no less arduous and difficult to keep up yet, both seek the same end, the continued conversion of their own soul and those under their care, but in different ways. This is precisely why Homeschooling Mothers stay home, working (sweeping) to prevent their children from failing away. There is grace here in fulfilling our duties in making reparation grace to convert souls! 14. The Sacred Heart of Jesus promised St. Margaret Mary that He would give those consecrated to Him and who fulfill the 9 First Fridays all the graces necessary in their state of life. At Lourdes and Fatima, we have been commanded to do Penance! Penance! Penance! To clarify this repeated threefold request, His Majesty later appeared to Sr. Lucia, saying: the sacrifice required for every person is the fulfillment of his duties in life and the observance of My law. This is the penance that I now seek and require. 15. How can men and women overcome past mistakes? They do penance! Penance! Penance! That is, they seek to carry out their duties of their state in life. The Gospel parables today indicate these duties are not always the same! Thus, His Majesty purposely mentions man and woman separately. But they have the same goals, the same fruits souls are saved. Angels rejoice. 16. Many fail to complete this penance because they do not know their duties beyond those basic ones owed to God and His Church as indicated in the Ten Commandments and the Precepts of the Church. As we begin again the Liturgical Season of Time after Pentecost, let s renew and deepen our understanding of our duties of our state in life. We have provided a summary of the social duties of a husband and father, as well as wife and mother, children and Christians in general on our parish website 17. At Fatima, the angel, depicted in the vision part the Third Secret, repeated the request of Our Lady of Lourdes: Penance! Penance! Penance! With this penance performed, the heavenly Queen is depicted in
the same vision as putting out the flames of God s wrath coming upon the world! If Christian husbands and fathers, wives and mothers do penance according to their duties of state, they will surely be aided by God s grace in all their endeavors and receive the protection of the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts against all dangers, as well as help Our Lady in fulfilling the Fatima promises such that In the end, My Immaculate Heart with triumph.