A Reflection on Luke 15:3-7
Consider the shepherd in first-century Palestine, responsible for one hundred sheep. As evening approaches and you begin counting your flock, your heart sinks—ninety-nine are accounted for, but one is missing. Now here's where Jesus challenges our modern sensibilities. Any reasonable person might think, "Well, ninety-nine percent success rate isn't bad!" But Jesus tells us that this shepherd leaves the ninety-nine in the wilderness and goes after the one lost sheep until he finds it. This isn't just a nice story about divine mercy—it's a radical invitation to see the world through God's eyes, where every single soul matters infinitely. The shepherd doesn't send a search party or post missing sheep flyers; he goes himself, personally invested in the rescue mission.
When we truly grasp this parable, it transforms how we understand our own calling as followers of Christ. Just as the shepherd couldn't rest until the lost sheep was found, we're invited to share in this same heart of compassion for those who have wandered away from God's love. This doesn't mean we become pushy evangelizers who corner people at coffee shops with religious tracts. Instead, we become the kind of people who notice when someone is struggling, who make space for honest conversations about life's big questions, and who demonstrate through our lives that faith brings genuine joy and peace. The shepherd's relentless pursuit of the lost sheep shows us that evangelization isn't about winning arguments—it's about loving people so genuinely that they begin to wonder what makes us different.
The celebration that follows the sheep's rescue reveals something beautiful about the nature of conversion and community. When the shepherd finds the lost sheep, he doesn't scold it for wandering or make it walk back alone as punishment. Instead, he joyfully places it on his shoulders and carries it home, then throws a party with his friends and neighbors. This teaches us that bringing someone to faith should always be accompanied by celebration and community welcome, not judgment or condescension. As Catholics, we understand that this joy reflects the very heart of God—the Trinity itself rejoices when someone turns toward divine love. Our parishes, our families, and our friendships should be places where this heavenly celebration finds earthly expression, where people experience the warmth of being truly found and welcomed home.
Living out this parable means embracing both the searching heart of the shepherd and the vulnerable trust of the found sheep. We're called to be shepherds to others while remaining humble enough to recognize our own need for rescue. Sometimes we're the ones leaving the ninety-nine to seek the lost, showing up for a friend going through a crisis or reaching out to someone who's felt abandoned by the Church. Other times, we're the sheep being carried home on the Good Shepherd's shoulders, grateful recipients of mercy we didn't earn but desperately needed. This beautiful reciprocity—being both seeker and sought, shepherd and sheep—keeps us grounded in the reality that evangelization flows from love, not superiority. When we share our faith from this place of gratitude and genuine care, we become irresistible invitations to experience the joy of being found by God.
©2025 James Dacey Jr.