Have you ever taken a course of action or held a particular attitude, all the while thinking that it was correct and then never giving it another thought? That is what happened with Ludovico Gadda, Pope Leo XIV. Ludovico was born in a small Italian town, like many of the popes, all from Italy, who have occupied the Chair of Saint Peter since the time of the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century. It seemed that Ludovico was destined for ministry and priesthood from his earliest days. He was ordained and lived a very traditional life as a parish priest. He lived by the canons and doctrines of the faith. Ludovico was good at what he did. Thus, he was made bishop of the diocese. Later he was moved to a larger metropolitan area and was made archbishop. Still later he was made a cardinal and finally he was elected pope. The people in Ludovico's hometown were not surprised by the course of events.
Upon assuming the Chair of Peter, Ludovico, who took the name of Leo XIV, was invested with much power and authority. The power he held was beneficial to some but it was highly detrimental to others. Like all of us, the pope had an agenda. He took a course of action; he held certain attitudes and opinions. The problem was that he never reflected on his actions and attitudes. He never considered the possibility that he was hurting others by what he did or thought.
What would it take him to change? For Ludovico it would be a bout with serious illness. Chest pains landed the pope in the hospital. Doctors told him he needed heart bypass surgery. The thought of such major surgery placed the pope in a more contemplative mood. He began to think about his life and what he had done. He began to realize that he might have hurt others. He knew that he needed to change, to find healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation. But for Pope Leo XIV, it would be too late. His inability to look into his heart would prove fatal. The very people he had hurt before he had the opportunity to change his ways would assassinate him.
So goes, in summary, the last of Morris West's fictional trilogy of novels that describes popes and faith. The name of the book is Lazarus. Morris West's tale illustrates the important message of our need to look into our hearts, see if wrong has been done and then seek forgiveness and reconciliation if needed, but always knowing that forgiveness and God's love are ever present, all we need do is be open. God will do the rest. In today's first lesson from the prophet Hosea, we hear a message of God's invitation to be reconciled, but we must respond.
Hosea proclaimed God's word to the northern kingdom of Israel some 750 years before Christ. Like his associate, Amos, Hosea spoke of God's displeasure with the people, namely the religious elite of Israel. Whereas Amos complained of social injustice, railing against the oppression of the poor and the complacency of the rich, Hosea's message is one of scandal and idolatry. At the outset of the book, Hosea is told to marry Gomer, "a wife of whoredom." This marriage is a metaphor for how Israel abandoned Yahweh and sought its sustenance in idolatrous conduct, especially association with the Baals. The prophet speaks of God's disappointment at the ingratitude of the Hebrews. After all God had done for them — calling the people, making them a covenant or chosen race, rescuing them from slavery, providing the law, giving them victory over their enemies, and settling the people on the land — still the people seek other gods than Yahweh.
In today's lesson specifically, Hosea, after speaking of future punishment, proclaims another message from the Lord. God will give the people another chance; he seeks reconciliation with them. God will speak tenderly to Israel and give her new vineyards. God will provide hope. The people will be renewed as they were after their escape from bondage in Egypt. Additionally, God says through the prophet that he will once again be husband to Israel; the name of Baal will be removed. God will make a covenant to abolish the things of war and create peace. The people will lie down in safety. God will once again take Israel as his wife: "And I will take you for my wife for ever; I will take you for my wife in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will take you for my wife in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord" (Hosea 2:19-20). In a very real way, God is holding out hope that Israel will once again return and be the nation that it was intended to be. Reconciliation is always possible. God has made the first step; now Israel must respond.
When considering the concept of reconciliation from the perspective of the church, most folks, I suspect, think of Lent. Surely it is an important theme of this most holy season of preparation that lies ahead of us. Reconciliation must be an ongoing daily effort — our need to return to God, and to receive forgiveness, while, at the same time, reaching out to others as God has reached out to us. We must forgive others, starting with ourselves.
The prophet Joel writes, "Rend your hearts and not your clothing. Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and relents from punishing" (Joel 2:13). God continually seeks our return. The Lord wants us and thus leaves no stone unturned in a diligent search for us. Like Francis Thompson's epic poem says, God is the "Hound of Heaven" who seeks our souls. We must be open to his search; we must cooperate. God will not come where he is not welcome. God's favor rests on those who call upon his name. We have been granted this great privilege because the Jews did not deem God's plan acceptable.
Saint Paul puts it this way in his letter to the Ephesians: "In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it is now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel" (Ephesians 3:5-6). As inheritors of God's great gifts, we must be open to the invitation of reconciliation that he places before us. To take any other route would mean losing the opportunity of a lifetime. We must respond in love to the God who first loved us.
The New Testament is filled with many stories and images about the need to be reconciled. We recall when Peter asked the Lord how many times it was necessary to forgive, thinking seven times would be more than sufficient. But Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:22). Of course, Jesus' response in essence says that we must be able to forgive an infinite number of times. As God stands willing and ready to forgive us, so in a similar way we must be ready to forgive others. Some may fear that they have responded too late to Jesus' invitation, but the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) tells us that it is never too late to accept God's invitation. Many of us, like the workers in the parable who accept the invitation early in life, seem to think we have received an affront if we do not get more than those who come in at a later hour, but the boundless and great mercy of God extends to all people. As the parable states, if God chooses to be merciful to others, that is not our concern. We are to do the best we can and leave judgment up to God.
It is certainly true, God is just waiting for us to return. God is like the father in the parable of the prodigal son, who patiently waits for his son, never giving up hope that he will one day return. There is nothing that cannot be forgiven, nothing that cannot be overcome by God's love. A dramatic example of this is the drama played out in chapter 21 of Saint John's gospel. We recall in the early morning hours of Good Friday Peter fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus had articulated at the Last Supper only a few hours earlier. After denying the Lord three times he was devastated and wept bitterly (Luke 22:62). He realized he'd betrayed his best friend. After the resurrection, Jesus allowed his chosen chief disciple to redeem his earlier denials for three affirmations of love. John wrote, "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?' " (John 21:15b). When Peter responded in the affirmative, Jesus repeated the question twice more and received the same response. Certainly, Peter had to understand Jesus' reason for asking and how reconciliation was in a very real way affected at that moment. Even if we deny the Lord, Jesus will welcome us back with open arms.
As God has been merciful and compassionate toward us, we must be merciful and compassionate to each other. People make mistakes; it is part of being human. Thus, sometimes we will hurt or offend others and others will hurt us. We must move beyond this initial step, admit our mistakes, the errors of our way, our sins, and then we can begin to move forward. We cannot live in the past. Holding a grudge against others keeps them at a distance for no logical reason. Can any of us imagine if God acted in such a way with any of us? What would we do if we felt that God was selective in his forgiveness and reconciliation? God's message of love and reconciliation goes out to all people for all times. If we are to be followers of Jesus, then our attitude and actions must emulate what he has taught us. We should never follow the example of the elder boy in the prodigal son story. He held a grudge against his brother and, it seems, his father as well. On the contrary, reconciliation is necessary not only to create harmony, but also to allow us to grow so we can be the people Lord calls us and wants us to be.
In Morris West's novel, Lazarus, the protagonist discovers too late his need to be reconciled. His sudden death leaves reconciliation unattained; an open chasm will never be filled. Let's not wait until it is too late but rather act now, knowing that Jesus is waiting for us to accept his invitation. This special call from the Lord is aptly depicted in a famous painting and a popular verse of scripture that provides both the challenge and the answer for us. In the National Gallery of London, there is a painting by Hans Holbein with which many are familiar. Jesus stands in a garden and he is knocking on the front door of a little cottage. Everything is normal in the scene except one small but important detail. There is no doorknob for Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts. What the painting shows pictorially, Revelation describes: "Here I stand, knocking at the door. If anyone hears me calling and opens the door, I will enter his house and have supper with him, and he with me" (Revelation 5:20).
Yes, the "Hound of Heaven," our God, is knocking on the door of our hearts. Let us today respond to the knock of the Lord; let us open the door to our hearts and find reconciliation. Let us have dinner with Jesus and he with us, today and to life everlasting. Amen.