5th NOVEMBER. THURSDAY OF WEEK 31

1St Reading: Romans 14:7-12

In life  and in death we belong to God; hence we love each other

We do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or sister? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, " As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God." So then, each of us will be accountable.

Gospel: Luke 15:1-10

There is more joy in heaven over finding the one lost sheep(or lost coin) than over all the rest.

Now all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, " This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: " Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ' rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

REFLECTIONS AND MEDITATIONS

There is a story about an old man who used to meditate each day near the Ganges River in India. One morning he saw a scorpion floating on the water. When the scorpion drifted near the old man he reached to rescue it but was stung by it. A bit later he tried again and was stung again, the bite swelling  his hand painfully and giving him much pain. Another man passing by saw what was happening and yelled at the old man, "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life  for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion?

The old man calmly replied, " My friend, just because it is in the scorpion's nature to sting, does not change my nature to save."

It is God's nature to save because it is God's nature to love. God seeks the lost, heals the wounded, forgives the offender and gives hope to those who are in despair. It is what God does.

In today's gospel, Jesus presents to us two parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin. These two parables depict a seeker in search of something or someone lost. Shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. The house wife who lost a coin faced also something of an economic disaster, since the value of the coin would be equivalent to her husband's daily wage. In this way, Jesus is teaching that God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with Him. And the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God.

The parable of lost coin and sheep teach us the lesson that it is quite impossible for a sheep or a coin to do anything in order to search and find itself. Consequently, Christianity is not about man seeking God, but rather God seeking man. This makes Christianity unique from other religions, it is the people who look for God and offer sacrifices to appease their gods but in Christianity it is our God who looks for His lost people. He always searches us when we are lost. Salvation as well as forgiveness is the initiative of God and not of us. God by seeking us with un imaginable desire shows that he has given human beings a dignity beyond calculation. He is ready to forgive us who are sorry, to save us for the sins we have committed. He is always ready to offer His love for us.

Seekers of the lost are much needed today. Do we persistently pray and seek after those we know who have lost their way to God?

Lost sheep/Lost part of our lives

We are all reflected both in the ninety-nine sheep that are always accountable, and in the one lost sheep that wanders off  and is reluctant to live under control.  As human beings we have ideas and talents that understand and try to carefully direct. They are always with us and we are quietly proud of them, since because of them we receive compliments and awards. These constitute ninety-nine righteous percent of ourselves that has "no need to repent." But perhaps God has also poured an unpredictable and unruly talent or quality into us. Stretching  the parable a bit, we might say that this easily lost part of ourselves can be a special moment of time or a unique opportunity crossing our path, chances and graces so fleeting that they can easily pass us by. 

All of us possess some talents and inspirations, for ourselves or the church, for our family, neighborhood or country, that seem too idealistic even to talk about. These talents might be spoiled or injured by ridicule or simply by cool difference. Or they might turn out to demand so much of ourselves that we try to suppress them. Such inspirations could become crucial turning points in our lives- whether to forgive another and be reconciled, to volunteer points in our lives- whether marginalized group, or to make a clear decision for marriage/ for priesthood or for some other vocational choice.

From the parable of the lost coin, too we can better understand Paul's statement against harshly judging one's neighbor. As human beings we tend to judge from an appearance, from what we see; but what we see may be just the ninety-nine, the one other being lost to view. Our judgment seldom takes into consideration  the rediscovery of the lost sheep or coin, which cannot easily be seen. However, when the lost one is found, the ninety-nine are also inspired with new meaning, for Jesus wants all of his people to share in his identity as the shepherd who never ceases to care for those outside the margins, the lost ones that he came to find.

Lastly we often spend time searching for something we have lost, especially if one is as prone to losing things often. We also find ourselves searching for people in various ways. Parents search for their children if they get lost. Men and Women search for someone they can share their lives with. In general we all search for something to meet our quench our thirsty. Underneath all this searching and longing is a more fundamental search for God who alone can satisfy the deepest longings in our hearts.