November 5
The Joy of Heaven
Today’s Gospel: Luke
15:1-10
(The Joy of Heaven)
“Now the tax collectors and sinners were all
drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying,
"This man receives sinners and eats with them." So, he told them this
parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of
them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one
which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his
shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and
his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep
which was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one
sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no
repentance. "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one
coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she
finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and
neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had
lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one
sinner who repents."
Reflection:
Think
about the shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to go after the one that
wandered off, and the woman who lights a lamp and sweeps the whole house until
she finds her lost coin, and then ask yourself whether you search that hard for
the people in your own life who have lost their way to God. We are called to do
exactly that for one another: look for them, pray for them, guide them, walk beside them, and do everything we can to help each other get to heaven, because that is the greatest reward of all and the real reason we are here. God has
given us each other so that we can encourage one another and be there for one
another as we make this journey through life together.
Almighty God does not want to lose even one of us, and so we should pray for
the wisdom to remember that He wants every single person in His fold. That
means we are not here to judge anyone, since God alone holds that authority,
and our job is to pray and to show love and mercy and compassion the way a
true child of God would. If we want to bring others closer to Jesus, the best
way is to help them by our example and lead them only to Him, and when someone
finally comes home, heaven itself celebrates louder than we can imagine.
Today’s Gospel is really about seeking and reward, searching until we find, and
the reward is the joy of heaven, which means the time God has given us needs to
be spent wisely. Some of us will be blessed with twenty years, and others with
ninety, and none of us knows our number, so the only sensible way to live is in
constant preparation. Keep your life focused on Jesus by reading your Bible
every day, going to adoration each week, getting to Mass and confession as
often as you can, and choosing a devotion like the Rosary and making it your
own by praying it daily. When we keep Jesus in our lives twenty-four hours a
day, seven days a week, it makes us better people and keeps us ready for
heaven, and it puts us in the best position to help someone else find their way
home. Beneath the Standard of Mary, we learn that she never stops searching for
her wandering children, gently drawing each one back to her Son, and she
invites us to join her in that work with a heart as patient and as joyful as
hers.
Who in your life has wandered away from God, and what is one thing you
can do this week to go looking for them? Are there people you have been quick
to judge when you should have been praying for them instead? And if you do not
know your number, what is one habit of prayer you will begin or renew today so
that you are ready?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
Freely given. Freely shared.
