The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to adopt the action of Christ and seek to address the needs of those who have lost love to know the intimacy of Jesus.
Seeking the lost
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Philippians expresses the apostle’s value of gaining Christ.
* [3:7] Loss: his knowledge of Christ led Paul to reassess the ways of truly pleasing and serving God. His reevaluation indicates the profound and lasting effect of his experience of the meaning of Christ on the way to Damascus some twenty years before (Gal 1:15–16; Acts 9:1–22).1
Psalm 105 praises God’s Faithfulness to Israel.
* [Psalm 105] A hymn to God who promised the land of Canaan to the holy people, cf. Ps 78; 106; 136. Israel is invited to praise and seek the presence of God (Ps 105:1–6), who is faithful to the promise of land to the ancestors (Ps 105:7–11). In every phase of the national story—the ancestors in the land of Canaan (Ps 105:12–15), Joseph in Egypt (Ps 105:16–22), Israel in Egypt (Ps 105:23–38), Israel in the desert on the way to Canaan (Ps 105:39–45)—God remained faithful, reiterating the promise of the land to successive servants.2
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus presents the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin to describe the attention of God to our needs.
* [15:1–32] To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:1–7) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:12–14), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:8–10; the prodigal son, Lk 15:11–32) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner.3
Scott McClure comments that Paul’s whole understanding of existence and what was truly of value had to be recalibrated upon his encounter with Christ. Indeed, that God would seek out the lost sheep - in this case, Paul, who had persecuted the Church - was reason for hope. To some, such hope may seem a fairy tale; a simple coping mechanism we employ to escape the seeming cold reality of the world of no second chances.
However, Christian hope is not purely sentimental. It is also rational. Not only are we, at times, the sheep in Jesus’ parable needing to be found. We are also called to be the one who seeks the lost sheep in our world. Throughout the whole of human history, we have seen what is wrought by those who seek only personal gain and self-preservation. The ending is all too predictable but no less tragic. It is only by choosing the way of the shepherd who seeks out the lost sheep, however, that what is broken is restored, that what is incomplete becomes whole, and that we may, through Christ and for his glory, work to build the Kingdom of God in our midst.4
Don Schwager quotes “Joy over the fallen sinner restored in God's image,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).
"This second parable compares what was lost to a drachma (Luke 15:8-9). It is as one out of ten, a perfect number and of a sum complete in the accounting. The number ten also is perfect, being the close of the series from the unit upwards. This parable clearly shows that we are in the royal likeness and image, even that of God over all. I suppose the drachma is the denarius on which is stamped the royal likeness. We, who had fallen and had been lost, have been found by Christ and transformed by holiness and righteousness into his image... A search was made for that which had fallen, so the woman lighted a lamp... By the light, what was lost is saved, and there is joy for the powers above. They rejoice even in one sinner that repents, as he who knows all things has taught us. They keep a festival over one who is saved, united with the divine purpose, and never cease to praise the Savior's gentleness. What great joy must fill them when all beneath heaven is saved and Christ calls them by faith to acknowledge the truth? They put off the pollution of sin and freed their necks from the bonds of death. They have escaped from the blame of their wandering and fall! We gain all these things in Christ."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 106)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on Philippians 3:3-8 comments that Baptism, the Spirit, and faith in Christ are the key ingredients for entry into the Christian life. Not only that, but God wants these three ingredients to permeate our lives every day.
Baptism. Every day, affirm the truth that you have been washed clean of original sin and made into a new creation. The Spirit. Every day, ask the Holy Spirit to keep softening your heart toward God so that you can learn how to hear his voice and follow his guidance. Faith. Every day, throughout the day, keep believing that you are a child of God, unconditionally loved and deeply treasured.6
Friar Jude Winkler comments on Paul’s response to some Philippians following a too Jewish sect. Jesus sees that sin causes self hate and isolation. Friar Jude reminds us that God addresses what we need to return to Him.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces the Reverend Wes Granberg-Michaelson, former head of the Reformed Church in America, who reminds us that Jesus is the model of public virtue for all Christians. When deciding how we want to act in the public sphere, we are first called to begin with our personal experience of God’s overflowing love for all the world.
Usually, however, we get it backward. Our temptation is to begin with politics and then try to figure out how religion can fit in. We start with the accepted parameters of political debate and, whether we find ourselves on the left or the right, we use religion to justify and bolster our existing commitments. . . . But what if we make the inward journey our starting point? What if we recognize that our engagement in politics should be rooted in our participation in the Trinitarian flow of God’s love? Then everything changes. We are no longer guided or constrained by what we think is politically possible, but are compelled by what we know is most real. At the heart of all creation, the mutual love within the Trinity overflows to embrace all of life. We are invited to participate in the transforming power of this love. There we discover the ground of our being, centering all our life and action.7
Our relationship with Jesus informs our action to call others to Him as we approach participation in public life in the Spirit of addressing the needs of the common good.
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