Homilyby Revd George Kingsnorth (Deacon)24th Sunday of Ordinary Time11th September 2022One of the hardest times for most families is having children. It’s a real test of character and strength. The mum has to go through all this pain giving birth, and at times, she could kill the husband for putting her into this situation. And he knows it too, when his knuckles are squeezed so tight, they go white, and she grits through her teeth saying, “This will never happen again.”
Homily
by Revd George Kingsnorth (Deacon)
24th Sunday of Ordinary Time
11th September 2022
One of the hardest times for most families is having children. It’s a real test of character and strength. The mum has to go through all this pain giving birth, and at times, she could kill the husband for putting her into this situation. And he knows it too, when his knuckles are squeezed so tight, they go white, and she grits through her teeth saying, “This will never happen again.”
And then the joy of the little bundle is delivered, and all is forgotten, until the next time.
Then comes the sleepless nights, trying to work out whose turn it is next to get up and sort out the child. And you don’t know if your eyelids will open so you can navigate to where the cot is, or the bedroom the following year when the child is sick with asthma, chicken pox, or some other kind of fever. You just know you are going to spend the next day trying to contact the doctor and take time off work.
Then there’s the day, the three-year-old decides the new car needs a respray, or as a teenager, they want to drive the car into the garage and forget to open the door first. That can be messy.
And from the child’s perspective, or the teenager, this can seem like the end of the world. Everything collapses. Until mum whispers, “Don’t worry. He won’t be mad for long. It’ll be alright.” And it is.
Just as it was when Moses tries to calm down God, in our first reading, who is angry with the Israelites for rejecting him and going their own way. And the Lord listens to Moses and relents, deciding not bring about a disaster. Mercy was shown.
Then there is the time, when the parents are out shopping, in the hustle and bustle of things. The child is with you, gripping your hand. Something distracts you and he is gone. You snap into focus, nothing else matters, you abandon everything in the shopping trolley to go in search. Both mum and dad, racing around the aisles to see where their child has gone. And there he is, hands behind his back, taking it all in, this new experience. Mum rushes up and grabs him, “Where did you go? I told you before, stay close.” She seems angry, but then she smothers him with hugs and kisses, and tears of joy flow, her precious one is found. And there is dad beside her doing the same. The family together rejoicing. They are whole.
In the Gospel, the man left the 99 sheep to go in search of the one, found it and celebrated his joy with friends. The woman on losing a coin, searches high and low, finds it and celebrates with her community. The family may not be the simple unit described above but we all have friends and extended family to rush to when a crisis comes, and we find what we are looking for and want to share our joy with others.
We all make mistakes. The shepherd did in losing one of his flock. The woman did misplace her coin. They put all their efforts into searching for what was lost until it was found. Then they turned straight away to friends and neighbours to celebrate their joy.
God the Father searches for us. He gave his only begotten Son to death, in order to find us, forgive our sins and allow us a way home. If we realise when we are wrong and turn back, we will be forgiven.
When I came to Ireland, I felt lost and disconnected. Separated from others. But the people found me and made me welcome. I felt at home.
There are many others, who feel lost and need someone to find them. I believe we are called to make them feel welcome, to feel part of our family, part of the body of Christ, which is the Church. Amen.
