(Thursday in the 31st Week of OT)
Philippians 3:3-8a, Psalm 105, & Luke 15:1-10
"There will be great rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).
Jesus is Lord, praise him now and forever. Today Jesus is charged welcoming sinners and eating with them. The Pharisees see themselves as righteous refusing to dine with such persons or to have any business dealings with them.
It is to these self-righteous leaders that Jesus directed his parables on the merciful love of God. The compassionate God was compared to a shepherd who hunted for his lost sheep and also to a woman who searched for her lost coin, and their joy in finding what was lost.
These parables have been called "the gospel within the gospel" as they contain the very essence of the good news that Jesus came to preach. The joy of a homemaker or a shepherd who lost their most precious possessions and then found them again, is the joy of God and of all the angels when one sinner returns home.
Friends in Christ, do I avail myself of God's mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Lord, Jesus thank you for forgiving me my sins and welcoming me back to the community. May the Lord bless us all. Peace and joy, Amen.