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As a priest, I’m humbled every time I hear confessions. 

The honesty, maturity, and self-awareness people bring often reminds me of my own weaknesses, and likewise, my desire to repent.

Regardless of what the person’s sins may be, the Lord always says, “I absolve you.”

You’re forgiven. 

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Hearing those sacred words should inspire us to say them to others.

“I absolve you. You’re forgiven.”

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In the Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about two men who are in need of forgiveness financially.

One of them has a debt reaching into the millions of dollars. Yet the king says to him, “I absolve you. Your debt is forgiven.”

Shouldn’t this man pay it forward and forgive those who are in debt to him?

Surprisingly, he doesn’t; he sweats the small stuff, strangling his neighbor over a few pennies owed.

Pettiness at its best.

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Like this man in the Gospel, some of the anger that fills our hearts can be over petty stuff.

We have a difference in opinion; someone interrupts us mid-sentence or cuts us off on the road; someone leaves their dishes in the sink overnight.

If the Lord forgives us every time we sin, then shouldn’t we extend that same kindness to others?

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“I absolve you. You’re forgiven.”

Words of mercy that we often need to hear and, in return, should extend to others.

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Wolves are incredible animals. 

Most often we see them in movies howling in the night. But if you studied them in nature, then you’d learn some interesting things.

For example, every wolf travels in a pack. 

Within the pack, there are old wolves that need to be cared for, pups that need learn, teenagers that push the boundaries, and two leaders – one male and one female – that instill order.

Life for a wolf is never a solo affair.

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We human beings are no different.

Our strength is often derived from the relationships we hold most dear: our families, our friends, our church, our colleagues, and, of course, our God.

COVID has reminded us just how much we need one another, and how we should never to take one another for granted.

Like wolves, life for human beings should never be a solo affair.

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But sometimes we get lost; separated; cut off from the pack.

Think of family members quarantined in nursing homes; single parents working from home while raising their children; a friend whom you haven’t heard from in a while.

Can you think of anyone who may be feeling disconnected from the group?

Call them. Send them a text. Invite them back into the pack. As Jesus reminds us in today’s Gospel, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name (even virtually), I am there in the midst of them.”

Like wolves, life for us should never be a solo affair.

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“If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine and seek out the one that is lost?” (Mt.18:15).

It’s not the shepherd’s fault that his sheep has wandered off. He didn’t force it into a catapult and launch it over the mountains.

The sheep wandered off on its own! 

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But this separation affected both the sheep and the shepherd.

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So what does the shepherd do? 

He travels over the mountains, through the valleys, into the woods, 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 the sheep on his shoulders, giving it a free ride home.

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Like that shepherd and his sheep, how many of us have become separated from someone we love? 

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It may have been no fault of our own, but we still bear the responsibility of seeking out the one who is lost.

Maybe it was a heated argument, a death in the family, a bruised ego, or the slow saw of time that broke us apart.

The last thing we should do is sit at home, waiting for the other person to act, because separation affects both parties.

And someone must be the first to act. 

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Jesus urges us to be like the shepherd, not the sheep.

Never stop seeking what is lost until it’s found.