Blue Bloods, the CBS TV drama about a Catholic family of cops (and one prosecutor), has gotten renewed for a 13th season. Yeah! In many episodes, one or the other TV character is dealing with a bad-behaving person who has a good streak, and is cutting them a break or sometimes using their better nature to defeat the bad guys. Our Sunday readings sound a bit like that. God’s chosen people, in our Exodus reading, soon get off track and fall away from loyalty to God. But with Moses’ pleading, and because of their past history with God, God gives them another chance. In the reading from the Epistle to Timothy, Paul confesses to his sinful past and gives thanks that he was “mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance…” In the Gospel we have the shepherd who goes after that one wandering sheep, the woman who looks for one little lost coin, and the father who welcomes his lost and foolish son. We all stray — groups of people, individuals, animals, coins; there is no perfect group, person, thing. Yet there is value in each broken or strayed group, person, thing. God is patient with his creation and merciful. God is patient and merciful with his broken Church, too. Patience and mercy often bring out the best in people. Have you experienced a second chance? Have you extended one to someone else? Can you extend it to the Church?
— Blog entry by Sister Mary Garascia; photo by Rod Long on Unsplash