I love a good party! The joy that fills a party space is magnetic, exciting, life-giving. My brother and new sister-in-law just got married in beautiful Mammoth, California. Their reception was held in the brand new local parish hall - in fact, they were the first large event held in the space. Their friends and family had filled the dance floor to celebrate the incredible love and lifelong commitment this lovely couple just made to each other. As family members started going home, some staying only a few blocks away, they said they could hear the noise of the party from their front doors as if they were still at the reception hall. While not all the neighbors appreciated our late night partying, the endless joy that came from this party is a joy I would return to again and again.

So, as I read the Gospel today, I can only imagine the joyful party in heaven that happens when we repent. How radical this Love!

We all make decisions that lead to being lost – choices that move us away from God, from Great Love. To think that God would come after us with such vigor – searching for us in the desert and among the cluttered home – is overwhelming. Radical Love that rejoices when we are found.

My God, my God. You love me with such generosity and grace. When I turn away from your Love, when I am lost, I pray that you find me. That I return home to you. And, my God, I cannot wait for the party – for the life-giving joy – that will remind me how good it is to be close to You. Amen.