Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Luke 15: 1-10
God does not write us off

Today’s Gospel gives us two of the most tender images of God’s love—the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to search for the one lost sheep, and the woman who sweeps her whole house until she finds her lost coin.

The Pharisees and scribes could not understand why Jesus welcomed tax collectors and sinners. To them, such people were unworthy, better forgotten than redeemed. But Jesus reveals a God who does not abandon, who does not wait passively for us to return, but who goes out in search of us. This is the heart of the Gospel: God is always looking for us, especially when we are lost.

Think of the shepherd. He knows each sheep by heart, and when one strays, he risks the dangers of the wilderness until he finds it. And when he does, he does not scold or punish—it is lifted tenderly onto his shoulders, carried home in joy. Think of the woman. For her, the coin is precious. Perhaps it is a day’s wage— and it matters deeply to her. She will not rest until it is found.

So it is with God and each of us. You are precious in His eyes. When we wander, God does not give up hope. When we fall into sin, He does not write us off. Instead, He searches, He calls, He waits with love. And when we are found, heaven itself rejoices.

This is the challenge for us, too. If heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents, how can we look at others with disdain? If God searches for the lost, then we, as His Church, must be people of mercy—welcoming, forgiving, and celebrating each person who returns to God’s embrace.

Today, let us hear this good news again: we are never forgotten. We are always sought. And in the heart of God, there is joy—joy for you, joy for me, joy for every soul that comes home.

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Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025