THE WORD
Is 40,1-11 / Mt 18,12-14
Jesus asked: “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 OTHER WORDS
The movie Saving Pvt. Ryan was set during World War II. A platoon of highly trained Rangers led by a captain was sent to save the said soldier whose brother died in that same war. The government, wanting to bring home at least one of the sons alive, ordered the retrieval of Pvt. Ryan from the battle field. Throughout the movie, the recurring question was ever present: Was one life worth risking several others? For, indeed, the whole platoon died saving that one.
The proponents of family planning visualize the world’s resources as a pie. If the population is 4, each one gets a fourth. If 8, each one gets a half of the fourth. If 16, each one gets even a smaller piece. And that pie is not even the family size pie. In effect, such logic says that the smaller the population, the bigger the size one gets from the shared pie. Not said loudly but equally clear is the proposition allowing one to kill all the rest that one can have the pie for oneself especially if it is a personal size in the first place.
Jesus proposes that an individual is so precious as to even risk losing the ninety-nine. Such a thought would be highly unacceptable for one who counts resources so mathematically accurate and so impersonally clouded. But to one who believes s/he is loved as if s/he is the only one in the whole world, such an intention is only too natural.
Maybe that is why St. Nicolas (Santa Claus) is so popular among the children. Children demand a love that is total and complete. Grown ups, however, who pretend to have outgrown such a sentiment, also demand an absolute love. We know that is how God loves.
Yes, each one is worth it!
- Fr. Vic Rayco, SVD | SJCS, Manila
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
