Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“It is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”

 

Gospel Reading: 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.”

 

In today’s Gospel reading, we hear the story about the shepherd.  Jesus asks the question, “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?”  Some of you are probably asking, “Why would the shepherd leave the 99 for the one; that just doesn’t make sense.”  However, to our Heavenly Father, we are all worth saving, even the most fallen individual.  Today’s message is one of good news and hope.  No matter how lost we become, God is always there to help us find our way back to his fold.  God wants us all in the Kingdom of heaven and does not want us separated from him.  Today’s message is truly good because Jesus tells us that everyone can be part of the flock.  Like a shepherd, God is saddened and worried when one of his sheep is lost.  A sheep is a very social animal and needs the protection of the shepherd.  If it gets separated from the flock, it panics and becomes disoriented.  It will not eat and becomes susceptible to wolves and other wild animals that prey upon them.  Our Father in Heaven knows that he needs to be continually present to us so we can avoid bad things.  And when he finds his lost sheep, “he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.”  If we fall, God does not get mad at us, but instead he worries about us and continually looks for us trying to get us back to the flock.  He knows that when we are separated from him that we are alone and disoriented so he reaches out to us with arms wide open.  God does not want us separated from him.  He wants us with him in his loving arms.  God seeks us continuously and forever wants us in his flock  What does he do when we return?  He rejoices and celebrates like the father did when the prodigal son returned home.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord, you are my shepherd.

Guide me when I am lost and gone astray

Guide me when I cannot find my way back

I desire to be with you at all times.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon