The gospel for Thursday of the 31st week in Ordinary Time is taken from Luke 15:10. The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus. But the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, this man welcomes sinners and eats with them. So Jesus addressed this parable to them, what man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, would not leave the 99 in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy. And upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, rejoice with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.
I tell you in just the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who have no need of repentance. But what woman Having 10 coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, rejoice with me because I’ve found the coin that I lost. In just the same way I tell you, there’ll be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents. I love when Jesus bases his examples on something we all know something part of the human condition. If I lose something, especially if it’s a value, my wallet, my credit card or whatever, I become consumed about it until I can find it in that kind of high sensitivity to something is something that Jesus is using to tell us that that’s the anxiety, that’s the concern, that’s the place he is when we’re not with him, when we’re lost, when we make bad choices.
He longs for us to come back to him. And he’ll do everything he can to find a way to lead us, just as we try to find the place where we left something valuable. After your reflection, I will close with a prayer. Satan. Satan. Sam Foreign Help us to know your love, your concern, your focus.
It’s impossible for us to think that you one God can be intimately engaged in the inner life of every human being, every creature you’ve ever created, everything that you have in the world is part of you. Help us to fathom that great mystery and feel the closeness that you have with us so we can feel the closeness that we want with you. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.