My brothers and sisters, today’s readings offer us a powerful lesson on God’s ownership and His unsearchable heart. We focus on Lordship, Lo...
My brothers and sisters, today’s readings offer us a powerful lesson on God’s ownership and His unsearchable heart. We focus on Lordship, Lost, and Love.
First, Lordship. St. Paul writes in the First Reading: "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's." This is the foundation of our faith. We are not our own; Christ died and rose for this very purpose: to be the Lord of both the dead and the living. This radical Lordship means we must stop judging one another, because it is to God alone that each of us will give an account. Our energy should be focused on our own relationship with the Lord, not on the faults of others.
Second, Lost. The Gospel gives us Jesus’s most beautiful defense of his ministry to sinners: the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. Notice the diligence: the shepherd leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one; the woman lights a lamp and sweeps the entire house to find the small coin. The lost are not forgotten; they are relentlessly sought. St. Leonard of Port Maurice was a tireless preacher who devoted his life to calling people to repentance. He understood that a soul that seems lost is precious to God and worth every effort.
Third, Love. The moment of discovery is not just a recovery of property; it is a moment of Love expressed as joy. “Rejoice with me because I have found my sheep that was lost!” Joy is the divine signature of God’s Love for the repentant sinner. There is more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people. This incredible Love is what motivates the search and what defeats the judgmental attitude of the Pharisees.
Let us imitate the relentless Love of God, recognizing His Lordship over all, and joining in the heavenly joy when a soul that was Lost is found. Amen.
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