ON DECEMBER 7th 1988, A devastating earthquake, registering 6.9 on the Richter scale, leveled northern Armenia, killing 45,000 people in just four minutes and leaving half-a-million people homeless.
A FATHER LEFT HIS WIFE securely at home, and quickly ran to his son’s school, which had totally collapsed.
THE FATHER RUSHED TO THE right rear of the school building where his son’s classroom was located and began to clear away rubble and debris.
OTHER PARENTS TRIED TO pull him away, “Let them be…” “They’re all dead. . .” “There’s nothing you can do. . .” but the father continued to dig.
THE FIRECHIEF TRIED TO GET him to leave, “There’s danger of an explosion. You’ve got to get out of here.” But the father persisted.
10 HOURS, 24 HOURS, 36 hours, he kept clearing rocks and debris. Finally, in the 38th hour, as he pulled back a huge boulder, the father heard his son’s voice faintly calling: “Popa, Popa, is that you? I knew you’d come, I knew you’d come!”
IMAGINE THIS FATHER’S tremendous joy at, against all odds, finding his child and thirteen of his classmates . . . alive!
IN OUR GOSPEL TODAY, Jesus shows us how important each one of us is to Our Heavenly Father.
WITH TODAY’S THREE parables, Jesus shows the Pharisees, the Scribes, and us what it means to be a child of God. Jesus describes for us the extravagant, fatherly love of God.
THE NEXT TIME WE’RE feeling lost in the midst of an illness or depression or we’re feeling helpless in the grip of sin, may we take heart and know that, even before we can say, “God, help me,” or whisper, “Father,” may we know that our Loving Father is already searching for us.
TODAY, MAY WE REALIZE, IN the depths of our heart, what it means to be Our Heavenly Father’s child!
AND MAY WE REALIZE NOW in the depths of our heart that at the hour of our death, our Loving Father will be standing right there next to us clearing away all the debris. “Abba, is that you?” we’ll whisper. “I knew You’d come. I knew You’d come!” as He hugs us tightly to Himself and welcomes us home!
