THE WORD
Phil 3,3-8 / Lk 15,1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them he addressed this parable: “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the dessert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it, and when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
IN OTHER WORDS
Maybe you have experienced this when you accidentally meet an old friend you have not seen for a long time. The joy of being reunited with someone important in your life and resuming a relationship that you thought was gone forever may be similar to the feeling evoked in the gospel story of finding the lost sheep and the lost coin. A sinner who repented is shown also as like something that was lost and now is found. It is definitely also a cause for joy.
In the gospel story, the one who lost the one sheep made an extraordinary eff ort to recover it. The woman who lost the coin also searched high and low until she found it. The eff ort exerted showed how valuable or how important the lost sheep or lost coin was. It is a reminder to us that when we lose someone to a life of sin, it is our duty to do our best to find that person, to lead him/her back to repentance. We may also ask ourselves when we lose someone to sin whether we have unwittingly led that person to sin by our apathy or indifference. This is what community life is: we become concerned with whatever happens to a brother or sister. We become alarmed when someone strays from the true path. We rejoice with the angels when we are able to nd that person and restore him/her to a life of grace. We are responsible for one another, and as we say, “Walang iwanan
- Fr. Gil Alejandria, SVD | CTManila
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.
