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Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10-14
The disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?”
He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said,
“Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children,
you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Whoever becomes humble like this child
is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.
And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones,
for I say to you that their angels in heaven
always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
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?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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It’s not the shepherd’s fault that this sheep wandered off. But he’s the one who pays the price.
This shepherd travels over mountains, through valleys, thickets and woods, looking for his lost sheep.
Wandering alone into the woods was risky, certainly as night fell. There could’ve been thieves, robbers, or other creatures lurking in the darkness, waiting to pounce on him.
Still, this shepherd risks his life in order to save another.
That’s the goodness of God, who freely offers himself for us, who’ve wandered off into the darkness for one reason or another.
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Notice what happens when the shepherd finds his sheep: a common practice would’ve been to break its legs in order to prevent it from wandering off again.
But this shepherd just picks his sheep up, puts it on his shoulders, and gives it a free ride home.
The sheep isn’t punished for wandering off; it’s embraced when found.
Its dignity remains intact.
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Similarly, there isn’t anything God won’t do in order to seek us out.
And when he finds us, the Lord doesn’t punish us for wandering off; he doesn’t break our legs. He puts us on his shoulders, offering us a free ride home, back to the Church, where we belong.
Our dignity remains intact.
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Whenever we feel lost or need to be found, simply call on the Lord until you feel his embrace.
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Image credits: (1) embracedbyGod.org (2) Pinterest (3) Million Minutes