May the Lord bless you with peace and health in the Holy Spirit.
It is 04th November 2021. Wishing you all the wishes of Deepavali, a festival of light. The saint of the day is Charles Borromeo, Bishop and loving shepherd remarked once, “Charity is that with which no man is lost and without which, no man is saved.”
At the age of 22, practically the leading statesman of the papal court. He was known for his energy and diplomacy. Charles was particularly prominent in the drafting of the official Catechism. He was also responsible for the reform of the liturgical texts and church music, and personally adopting a very simple style of life and gave much of his considerable revenue away to the poor. He began teaching Christian doctrine to children in Sunday schools. He is best remembered for the reform and education of the clergy and in the work of catechesis.
The first reading is the most inspiring passages in the New Testament. St. Paul asked the believers, “Why do you pass judgement on your brother?” (Rom.14:10). We all find it hard to accept the other person with their differences in belief, morals, behaviour, or their choices. Even in the church, we might pass judgement based on whether to receive the Holy Communion in hand or tongue by taking one side or the other definitely. Everything we do or say has an impact on others and so we are responsible for the influences we have on others. Making a definite judgement on others need to be avoided as we are all to evaluate or examine others one way or another.
There is something in everyone to celebrate. But on the contrary, we hear in our home always that be careful this person or that person and do not associate with those persons because they are evil, sinful, and selfish. We find Jesus doing the opposite today. He befriends the sinners. In that context, Jesus shares three parables of mercy. If I were the sinner, will I not long for the warmth, care, and forgiveness of God? How come we avoid people who make mistakes? We always need to be reminded that we all must give an account of our life to God. Living or dying needs to be for the Lord.
The Gospel passages reveal so vividly the heart of God. The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin illustrate the constant, faithful, unrelenting love of God for each of us, but especially for sinners. God never gives up on us for any reason. Pharisees became jealous of the way Jesus welcomed everyone without judging and condemning them unconditionally. The Lord comes to find us whenever we are lost. There are moments we too have felt lost and forgotten by others in our families, friends’ circles and by the members of the community. Finger-pointing someone is so common now than ever before in the environment of social media, and personal life. Instead of showing compassion, we feel anger, hatred and ostracising today’s tax collectors and sinners. Yes, of course, there is a certain amount of joy in finding a lost sheep or coin but there is immense and immeasurable joy finding the person who is lost. We are indeed so precious to God than the lost sheep to the shepherd or a lost coin to a housewife. God never forgets and leaves us to struggle on our own. Even in a most desperate situation, God calls us to heed God’s voice.
Do we feel lost? Let us be assured that God is in search of us untiringly. Are we willing to go through some sort of humiliation for being inclusive as our conviction and faith are attacked? May God bless you.