The Parable of the Lost Sheep
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Mt 18:12-14
[Jesus said to his disciples,] 12“What
is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes
astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search
of the stray? 13And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 14In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”
Reflection:
Go in search of the stray.
The sheep are well known to the shepherd who notices the loss of one of
them. When he goes after the lost sheep, the shepherd does not abandon
the ninety-nine. He entrusts them to the care of his companions. The
point is, each one of the sheep is important and precious to the
shepherd.
Though
we are all God’s children, God treats each one of us very specially.
God has particular places in God’s heart for us. When we stray, God is
not satisfied with waiting for our return. God goes out in search of us,
and God will do anything and everything just to find us, no matter how
much it will cost—even the life of his Son.
When
God finds and takes us back, there is no recrimination or resentment,
no contempt or sarcasm. God is just too happy to have us back.
The
Gospel invites us to be patient with those who have offended us and to
be merciful to those who have sinned. We must try to clear out
misunderstanding and take the first step to bring the erring back to the
right path.
If you have lost some very special people,
what must you do to bring them back?
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