Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

What lies has the enemy led you to you believe?

How can you allow the Father to speak His merciful truth to you to liberate you so that you can receive his mercy?

The reason that this question came up in prayer as I sat with these readings is that we all have believed lies about ourselves, about God, and about reality in general that were false and that led us to sin, to despair, to feel worthless.

The readings that we have before us today speak of the unfathomable abyss of mercy of our Heavenly Father toward us in the midst of our sinfulness when we believe the lies of the enemy: In the Book of Exodus, we hear of the Israelites in the desert who worshipped a golden calf and committed idolatry after God set them free from slavery in Egypt, yet God did not allow his anger to burn against His people ().

In our Psalm we hear King David pleading with God to have mercy on him and show him abundant compassion () in the midst of his adultery and murder of an innocent man.

In Paul’s letter to Timothy, we hear of the patience that God showed to St. Paul () even when Paul was acting as a “blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man” ().

Finally, in our Gospel reading from Luke’s Gospel, we hear of the famous story of the two sons and their merciful Father (i.e.

The Prodigal Son).

In this instance, we see the Father’s abundant mercy toward both of his sons who have rejected him in one way or another.

In all of these cases, these characters who sinned and received mercy, first sinned because they believed a lie.

If we do not name the lies of the enemy in our own lives, we will not be able to receive this mercy and be transformed.

I ask again:

What lies has the enemy led you to you believe?

How can you allow the Father to speak His merciful truth to you to liberate you so that you can receive his mercy?

Let us name the lies rolling in the hearts and minds of the characters in our readings so that we can recognize the tactics of the enemy, name the lies that he has spoken in our lives, and then allow God to show his mercy to us and speak HIs saving truth to us.

When the Israelites committed idolatry in the desert, what lie did they believe?

One lie they believed was that the same God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt was not powerful enough to provide for them in their other needs and that they needed to rely on themselves and false God’s to satisfy their deepest needs.

For they say earlier in Chapter 32:

When the people saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for that man Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him - New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

When they were afraid if Moses would come down the mountain or not to be God’s instrument to provide good leadership, food, or other necessities, they turned away from God and in on themselves.

Do we believe that God can provide for us?

Has the enemy led us to believe that we need to trust in our own powers or devices to provide for ourselves?

To have excessive anxieties about the future?

Our Lord Jesus speaks truth to this lie: “31 So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ 32 All these things the pagans seek.

Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

33 But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.

34 Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.

Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

In our Psalm, we believe that King David could have written this Psalm after committing adultery with Bathsheba, one of his own soldier’s wives.

He then proceeded to kill that soldier named Uriah to cover up his adultery.

1 At the turn of the year, the time when kings go to war, David sent out Joab along with his officers and all Israel, and they laid waste the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.

David himself remained in Jerusalem

New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

Washington, DC: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops..

younger son: lie = Father is not enough, I want pleasure and lots of it, that will satisfy me

Why did he do this?

What lie led him here?

The lie that David believed was that he was entitled to whatever he wanted to have and whenever he wanted to have it.

He became complacent and arrogant in his role as king because of this and everything went down from here.

In fact we read how this act of adultery began because, rather than going to battle as kings should do in his time, he stayed back in his home in Jeruslem,

“At the turn of the year, the time when kings go to war, David sent out Joab along with his officers and all Israel, and they laid waste the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah.

David himself remained in Jerusalem.”

- New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

Do we allow the enemy to lead us to believe that we deserve the blessings in our lives?

Do we allow the slippery slope that is arrogance and entitlement to rule in our hearts?

younger son: lie = Father is not enough, I want pleasure and lots of it, that will satisfy me

The Prophet Nathan, speaking on behalf of the Lord speaks truth to this lie in .

Tells David a parable about a lamb pointing out the same kind of sin that David committed.

When David sees this injustice in the parable, he condemns it vehemently,

“5 David grew very angry with that man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves death!

6 He shall make fourfold restitution for the lamb because he has done this and was unsparing.”

7 Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man!

5 David grew very angry with that man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves death!

6 He shall make fourfold restitution for the lamb because he has done this and was unsparing.”

7 Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man!

New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

After David discovers his wickedness, he repents and receives mercy from God. Can we allow God’s truth to soften our hearts and brings us to seek His mercy?

Can we allow ourselves to be convicted to hear the words: “You are that man!”

In the case of the Apostle Paul, we see that when he was Saul, he persecuted the Christians of the early Church before his conversion.

He was present at the stoning of St. Stephen and then we read in Acts,

“ 1 Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains”

New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

He believed that his anger and violence toward Christians was justified because of how he understood the proper way to live ones faith.

Part of the practice of his faith as he understood it was to zealously stomp out anyone who was preventing God’s kingdom to be realized.

He was eventually shown mercy by God on the road to Damascus and at his baptism.

The question for us then is: do we allow anger or judgement against another person or group to consume us?

Thankfully, we know that God allows his merciful love to shower St. Paul.

God even redirects this zeal for the salvation of souls and Paul’s preaching of the Gospel everywhere.

In our Gospel, we see the lies that the two sons believed.

The younger son first believed the lie that His Father’s love was not enough.

He had to get his share of the estate and to find his fulfillment and satisfaction in pleasure and materialism.

The next lie that he believed is that my Father cannot forgive me.

I am forever destined to be in a position of slavery toward him because of my sins.

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

19 I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers

New American Bible.

(2011).

(Revised Edition, ).

Do we believe that some of our sins are unforgivable?

Do we believe that some of our sins are too shameful to confess?

The enemy wants to keep us in bondage from our sins and the Father wants to set us free and lavish us with mercy:

‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

23 Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.

Then let us celebrate with a feast, 24 because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found

Rather than forcing his son to focus on his wretchedness, he rejoices in his return.

Can we trust that our Father won’t look on us with disdain when we approach him in our own brokenness in prayer and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Then we have the older son who we hear is, “ 25 Now the older son had been out in the field” () when he hears the party.

When he hears of the restoration of his brother, we read, “

28 He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.

29 He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends (-29).

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