There is something deeply consoling
about today's Gospel. It makes us understand that God does not give up on us,
even when we have given up on ourselves. Sometimes we struggle to grasp this truth.
Yet, Jesus reveals to us today the face of God who does not stop loving us
because we have wandered away. And when we return, He does not receive us with
resentment but with joy.
The Gospel begins with a striking
scene. Tax collectors and sinners are drawing near to Jesus to listen to Him.
But the Pharisees and scribes are complaining: “This man welcomes sinners
and eats with them.”
What the Pharisees considered
scandalous was precisely what revealed the beauty of Jesus' mission. He
welcomed those whom the society had rejected. He shared a table with people
whom others considered unworthy of God's attention.
Notice that Jesus did not approve of
their sins. He welcomed sinners because He wanted to restore them. He knew that
people are more than their mistakes and that no human being is beyond the reach
of God's mercy.
To explain this, Jesus tells two
parables.
In the first, a shepherd has one
hundred sheep and loses one. He leaves the ninety-nine in the wilderness and
searches for the missing sheep until he finds it. This is completely opposed to
human logic what would rather protect the 99 sheep.
Think about that expression: “until he
finds it.”
The shepherd does not search for a few
minutes and then abandon the effort. He does not conclude that one sheep is
insignificant compared with the ninety-nine. He goes looking because that one
sheep matters to him.
And when he finds it, he does
something beautiful. He places it on his shoulders and carries it home
rejoicing.
Jesus describes a shepherd carrying home
the lost sheep.
This is how God deals with the sinners
who allows themselves to be found. His mercy seeks to heal and not to condemns.
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, God has never ceased to search every lost soul.
He wants all His children to know Him and be saved.
Sometimes, we imagine God as someone
who is constantly counting our failures, waiting for an opportunity to punish
us. But Jesus reveals a Father whose greatest desire is to bring His children
home.
The second parable speaks of a woman
who loses one of her ten silver coins. She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and
searches carefully until she finds it.
The coin cannot call out or find its
way back. Yet, it has not lost its value simply because it is lost.
What a powerful message! Losing our
way does not mean losing our worth in the eyes of God.
But there is another dimension to
these parables that we must not overlook.
Jesus tells them in response to the
Pharisees who complain about His association with sinners. The challenge is
therefore directed not only to those who have wandered away but also to those
who consider themselves righteous.
We can attend Mass regularly, say our
prayers, and observe religious practices, yet become harsh towards people who
struggle or have fallen into sin.
We may be quick to condemn someone's
past, discuss another person's failures, or exclude those whose lives do not
meet our expectations.
But Jesus invites us to examine our
hearts: Do we rejoice when someone returns to God, or do we keep reminding them
of their past?
Our Christian communities should be a
place where wounded people encounter mercy, where those who have fallen find
encouragement to rise again, and where nobody feels permanently excluded from
God's love.
Dear brothers and sisters, perhaps
today we are the lost sheep needing to be carried home. Or perhaps we are among
the ninety-nine, being challenged to share the shepherd's concern for those who
are missing.
Whatever our situation, the message is
clear: God searches, God welcomes, and God rejoices when a sinner repents.
May we never be afraid to return to
God, and may we never become obstacles preventing others from returning to Him.
Amen.
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