Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14 / 1 Timothy 1:12-17 / Luke 15:1-32
One of the things that children love to do is to play games. We are not talking about those video games that are in the hand phone or computer.
We are talking about those interactive games that are played with others, and children have that kind of imagination to make a game out of nothing.
For example, in the game of “Catching” no equipment is used, but that will be laughing and shouting and even screaming as children run around and try to catch each other. They can have so much fun just doing that.
And when they get tired and want to change to another game then that is “Hide-and-seek”.
All the children would go hiding, and then the seeker, after the countdown, will go looking for them.
It is quite an interesting game, in the sense that those children who are hiding would always want to peek out of their hiding place to see where the seeker is.
So the purpose is not to hide until the seeker cannot find anyone. Rather those who are hiding will somehow give away their hiding place, and the seeker will somehow be able to find those who are hiding.
Hide-and-seek is a simple game, but so much human dynamics and emotions are involved, such that we can say that it is quite as sophisticated game.
In the three Parables that Jesus told in the gospel, there are also elements of the “Hide and Seek” game.
He talked about the shepherd leaving the 99 in the wilderness and going after the missing one till he found it.
He talked about a woman who lost a drachma, and would light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it.
And of course the last Parable, which we are quite familiar with, the parable of the Prodigal Son, or parable of the lost son.
We may think that those three Parables are more like “lost and found” rather than “hide and seek”, especially the parable of the lost son.
Yet the interesting thing about those who are lost in the maze of life, or lost in their sins or whatever, are not just wanting to stay lost, or that they are quite happy about being lost.
In fact just like the game of hide-and-seek, those who are lost may be hiding and silently calling out to be found.
We can see this in the Book of Genesis. When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and fell into sin, they hid themselves from God.
God came to visit them and God called, “Where are you?” Only then did Adam and Eve came out of their hiding place. So it can be said that Adam and Eve were hiding, but they were also waiting to be found.
God seeking the sinner is a recurring theme in the Bible. We see that in the first reading as God said to Moses, “Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostasised. So God sent Moses to seek the people when they had sinned.
And in the second reading, Saint Paul said that he used to be a blasphemer and did all he could to injure and discredit the faith.
But when he was blinded on the way to Damascus, it was Jesus who sent Ananias to heal him and baptized him.
And in the gospel, the tax collectors and sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say.
But it was Jesus who first looked for them when He said that He came to seek and to save those who are lost.
So those who are hiding in sin are not contented with hiding on in sin. Whether silently or crying out aloud, they want to be found. Just that they are not saying outright that they want to be found.
But those sinners may not be easy to handle, and we might just want to be a Pharisee or a scribe and tell them to get lost.
But let us remember that the greater the resistance, the deeper the conversion. The resistance is essentially a struggle with their own sins and they are fighting a battle within.
Saint Monica had to pray 30 years for the conversion of Saint Augustine, but what a great saint he became.
Jesus sends us out to those who are hiding in their sins so that He can seek and save those who are lost.
Let us be kind and compassionate and gentle in seeking out sinners.
When we meet with resistance or even hostility, let us remember what Jesus said: there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.