HOMILY FOR 31ST THURSDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (THE LOST SHEEP) — YEAR B
HOMILY FOR 31ST THURSDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (THE LOST SHEEP) — YEAR B
HOMILY THEME: THE HOME COMING OF THE LOST SHEEP
BY: Fr. Isaac Awe
Phil 3:3-8; Psalm 104(105):2-7; Luke 15:1-10
If Christ is not the centre of interest, our lives will be out of focus!
It’s a lot of grace to be able to reconsider one’s life from time to time so as to become better. The saints have all prioritised examination of conscience. The best of us is not the one who is sinless, but one who examines and re-examines his life from time to time with a view to becoming better.
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What does Jesus’ story about a lost sheep and a lost coin tell us about God and his kingdom? Shepherds normally counted their sheep at the end of the day to make sure all were accounted for. Since sheep by their very nature are very social, an isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and even neurotic. The shepherd’s grief and anxiety is turned to joy when he finds the lost sheep and restores it to the fold. The housewife who lost a coin faced something of an economic disaster, since the value of the coin would be equivalent to her husband’s daily wage.
What would she say to her husband when he returned home from work? They were poor and would suffer greatly because of the loss. Her grief and anxiety turn to joy when she finds the coin. Both the shepherd and the housewife “search until what they have lost is found”. Their persistence pays off. They both instinctively share their joy with the whole community. The poor are particularly good at sharing in one another’s sorrows and joys. What was new in Jesus’ teaching was the insistence that sinners must be sought out and not merely mourned for. God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that all be saved and restored to fellowship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God. 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 or look down on down and still persecute them?
Reflection: Of all acts of man, repentance is the most divine. The greatest of all faults is to be conscious of none”. (Thomas Carlyle).
PRAYER: Lord, let your light dispel the darkness that what is lost may be found and restored. Let your light shine through us that others may see your truth and love and find hope and peace in you. May we never doubt your love nor take for granted the mercy you have shown to us. Fill us with your transforming love that we may be merciful as you are merciful. Amen.
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