Gospel – Luke 15:1-10
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 to them he addressed this parable.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine 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 have 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 ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten 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 have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”
Reflection on Sunday Gospel
This picture hangs in my office and seems fitting when I reflect on this Gospel
Let us remember we are in the holy presence of God…
As I continue to grow in my faith, I return to this Gospel on a regular basis for hope and renewal. No one is perfect, especially me. God knows it. But as I stumble and trip on the proverbial path of life, I know that if I ask for forgiveness, truly repent, I am saved and Jesus brings me back to the fold.
I’m sure we’ve all had a time where we slipped our hand into the pocket of our jeans, and to our surprise pull out a couple of dollars, or if we’re really lucky, a wrinkled up $20 bill. How great is that feeling? Score! Jackpot! Hello there President Jackson!
There is something to be said for our faith as well. I think sometimes we put our faith in our pocket, out of sight, out of mind, and forgotten about. It’s only after we realize how wrong we were not to keep it in front of us to focus on in our daily lives, that we pull our faith out of our pockets.
I’m not sure rediscovering our faith is as exciting or as satisfying as the $20, even though it should be. Maybe because it’s not tangible or we can’t buy something with it? I think it’s because it takes work to acknowledge our wrongdoings and to find our faith. We have to look inward and see the wrinkles we’ve created in our selves by “pocketing” our faith.
This Gospel says to me not to be so hard on yourself. Jesus knowingly welcomed and loved sinners. Take joy in knowing that no matter how imperfect you are, you can pull out that “pocketed” faith. Trust me, it is exactly where you left it, and I’m willing to bet the couple of bucks I found in my pocket, that the faith you continually rediscover is far less wrinkled, and far more exciting, because you continue to renew and make it more central to your life each and everyday.
Let us pray…
Dear God, as Lasallian educators, we pray that You will help us to continue to dig deep into our pockets, and find a nourishing faith in You. Help us to see You in the faces of those entrusted to our care as they may wander from the fold. Give us the grace to be as your Son, and leave to find the least, the last, the lost of our charges, and through You, bring them joyfully home.
Amen.
St. John Baptist de La Salle … Pray for Us!
Live Jesus in our Hearts … Forever!
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