Are they the Bad?

Scripture/Bible:  Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them."  3 So he told them this parable:

And he said, "There was a man who had two sons; 12 and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them. Luke 15:1-3, 11-12

Reflection:   There are many attractions in life and we too get attracted by the various things of life just as the moths get attracted to the light and the bees get attracted to sweet nectar and the eyes to all things beautiful.  

Why are certain things an attraction and more so when we know they are evil? Yet in the midst of these pulls there is also the pull of goodness which attracts us.  But many a times we are unable to see the difference between good and bad.

But the most impressive element reveled in the Gospel text of today is the drawing near to Jesus of the Tax collector and sinner.

Why do bad people recognize goodness faster than good people and get attracted to it?

 It’s a fact which is better left unanswered, so that we do not reduce the bad people to guinea pig status but rather learn from their miseries and simplicity of heart.  It is better to learn from them rather, than analyze them and then never learn from them.  More so recognizing that their goal is good and noble and more so the scriptures adduces to them.

Can we in our surroundings see such simple bad people who stand condemned by our standards of judgments but are regulars at the feet of the Lord, waiting for their day of salvation from their savior Jesus Christ,  who alone is able to save them. 

Prayer:  Lord, teach me to be compassionate and merciful to those who are weak and into habitual sins. 

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