Today, 9th of December, we celebrate
Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if
we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the
Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For
this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord
of both the dead and the living. Why then do you judge your
brother or sister? Or you, why do you look down on your
brother or sister? For we shall all stand before the judgment
seat of God; for it is written:
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
The word of the Lord.
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his temple.
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R./ I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, muttering. "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So Jesus told them this parable:
"Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: 'Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep.' I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent.
"What woman, if she has ten silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp and sweep the house in a thorough search till she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say: 'Celebrate with me for I have found the silver coin I lost!' I tell you, in the same way there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner."
The scene is, to say the least, an interesting one. The tax collectors and sinners are drawing near to Jesus to listen to Him. The Gospel doesn’t say they’ve suddenly become saints or that they’ve repented completely—it simply says they come close. Most likely, they’re drawn by curiosity, by Jesus’ way of speaking—after all, there weren’t many public events to attend in those days. Meanwhile, the official representatives of religion—the Pharisees and the scribes—stand apart, murmuring and criticizing.
Both the listening of some and the criticism of others must be understood in their context. In the Jewish religion, ritual purity was essential. Only those who remained ritually pure could approach God and be considered faithful Jews. That meant staying away from anything—or anyone—considered unclean. And, of course, tax collectors and public sinners were seen as impure, dirty, unworthy. By drawing near to them and eating with them, Jesus was making Himself impure as well. From their point of view, the criticism was justified. In modern terms, we might say: “Sinners shouldn’t be allowed in church. God hates sin and can’t stand the presence of sinners.”
But, as usual in the Gospels, Jesus moves on a completely different wavelength. He knows He is the messenger of God who has come precisely to save sinners, not to condemn them. The excluded of every kind—including the sinners—are the very ones most beloved by a God who refuses to leave anyone outside His embrace. That’s what the Kingdom is all about.
This is the key to understanding the parable. God is the shepherd who owns the flock. God is the woman who has lost one of her coins. And God does not want to lose even a single one of His children. He will do everything possible to find the one who is lost. Where we see no hope, God continues—stubborn, persistent, relentless—to seek and to save, because He does not want even one of His children to be lost.
Fernando Torres, cmf
