Homily: March 22. 2025, Second Saturday in Lent (Bashan and Gilead)

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 "Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old." 

I have always been curious about Bashan and Gilead. My curiosity increased when I heard an old but well-known hymn, ‘There is a Balm in Gilead’ just a few years ago. The song was so beautiful that I searched for more information about Gilead and found many fascinating references in Scripture.

Gilead is mentioned throughout the Bible as a place of refuge and healing. When Jacob fled from his father-in-law, Laban, he found shelter in Gilead. Later, when Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery, they handed him over to Ishmaelites who came from Gilead on their way to Egypt, their camels were loaded with gum, balm, and resin for trading. The balm of Gilead was famous in the ancient world for its healing properties.

As for Bashan, Deuteronomy describes it as a land of fertile soil, abundant livestock, and prosperity, known for its fat bulls and strong cattle. If you attend our weekly Holy Hour, you may notice that in the Evening Prayer of every fourth Monday, we praise God in the Psalms for giving the Israelites victory over Og, the king of Bashan.

Gilead and Bashan represent places of refuge, safety, healing and lands of goodness, abundance, and prosperity, respectively. When God promises to restore His people, He is offering them both healing and abundance, mercy and restoration. He wants to feed them in Bashan and Gilead.

If we feel burdened and deep remorse for our sins against God, the first reading offers us deep consolation and encouragement:

"You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins; You will show faithfulness to Jacob, and grace to Abraham."

This promise is beautifully reaffirmed in the Gospel today -the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus reveals the boundless mercy of the Father, who welcomes back His son even after he committed a grave and unforgivable sin. He even restores everything that his son gave up – his dignity, status and legacy of being a son.

This is the very heart of Lent; the call to “return to the Lord”, not because we are good, but because God is good over and beyond our bad.

• In the Lord, we find healing and restoration.

• In the Lord, we find refuge and security.

• In the Lord, we find abundance for all our needs.

As we journey through Lent, let us keep returning to the Lord, for in Him, we find mercy, love and providence.

Amen.


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