Sacred Scripture
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.” (Matthew 18:12-14)
Reflection
Another beautiful scriptural passage which should cause us to remember the extent of God’s love for us.
Does it? Do you sometimes wonder about that one lost sheep? Wow. Look at the love that he received from the shepherd! So much that the shepherd left the other 99 to find one sheep! The shepherd left the other 99 at risk while he went out to find the lost! An isolated sheep can quickly become bewildered and disoriented, easy prey for wolves!
If you never did wonder about the lost sheep and the rest of the flock, then let’s go on a different path.
Let’s begin with our belief that God’s love is universal. He loves the person who is faithful to Him and He loves the sinner as well. Are there gradations to His love? Nope. He loves us all. The difference lies only in the fact that the person faithful to Him not only knows His love but he is conscious of all the blessings that God gives. We know that no love can be greater than He who died for you and me.
All we need to do is to gaze upon His broken body and we will know the power of His love.
That’s all well and good but where does that bring us? We need to be grounded in that love. Each day, any moment of our lives, we need to stop, take a deep breath and remember His love. Why? Because of the strength that it brings us. We need that strength to survive in a world of toxic politics, threats of another variant of the coronavirus, people who are fractionalized – that’s not His world but a world tainted by evil.
How are we free of that? How can you and I cope with the constant threats that surround us?
We live free of all of that when we accept the belief that we are loved so much by God that he treasures us enough to be His allies in the constant fight against the darkness. He wants, he expects, he calls us to step away from the flock, not to be lost, but to stand apart and live His love.
We belong to Him, not a cause, not a politician, not some secular belief or partisan politics.
Him. No one else.
Do you believe that? If you do then you know that He is always there to protect us. He listens to the pitch of our voice and calls him to us. As we draw nearer to Him, we draw upon the strength of his love. For protection. For courage. For unwavering faith.
Every day, he says: “I love you.” You. Me. Take that love and walk on a path of light. As you walk, let everyone see – saint and sinners – that nothing will deter you from walking on the path that leads to Him.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, nothing escapes your watchful gaze and care. May I always walk in the light of your truth and never stray from your loving presence.”
Daily Note
God does not rejoice in the loss of anyone, but desires that we be saved and restored to friendship with him. That is why the whole community of heaven rejoices when one sinner is found and restored to fellowship with God. God is on a rescue mission today to save us from the destructive forces of sin and evil. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, watches over every step we take. Do you listen to his voice and heed his wise counsel? Do you follow the path he has set for you – a path that leads to life rather than death?
