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Gospel: Matthew 18: 12-14
Jesus said to his disciples:
“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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The Lord encourages each of us to have that proactive spirit of the shepherd in today’s Gospel.
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It’s not the shepherd’s fault that his sheep wandered off. It wandered off on its own.
But this separation affected both of them, so the shepherd does something about it, traveling over mountains, through valleys, into the night, not stopping until he finds his sheep.
And when he does, he doesn’t break its legs, preventing it from running off again. He joyfully places it on his shoulders, gladly rejoining it to his flock.
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Like the shepherd, at times we can all become distant or separated from someone we love.
Maybe it was a heated argument, a death in the family, or a bruised ego.
Perhaps it was nothing intentional; life gets busy. Maybe we lost contact through the slow saw of time.
The last thing we should do is wait for the other person to reach out, because separation affects both parties.
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So, when possible, be proactive like the shepherd. Search until you find them.
If reconciliation isn’t possible, make the effort not to carry any negativity in your own heart. Rather, pray that Jesus, the supreme shepherd, would soften their heart making reconciliation possible someday.
“For it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost,” he says.
Rather, God desires harmony amongst all of his children, and he will not stop trying until his will is done.
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Image credits: (1) DailyVerses.net (2) Jesus Christ as Shepherd Embracing Lamb in Rocks, Melani Pyke, Fine Art America (3) Community Tool Box, The University of Kansas