Sacred Heart of Jesus
Lk 15: 3-7
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that 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.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
When Have You Been Found?
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.
A horrible business plan – this business of leaving the ninety-nine to find the one. Reason? Common sense? Logic? Practicality? Cost-benefit analysis? They all advocate sticking with the ninety-nine. They all propose cutting one’s losses, cutting loose the one who has strayed.
What a peculiar, eccentric God we worship, this God who strays from the safe center in search of strays, this God whose sacred heart bleeds for those on the margins, this God who invites us to go boldly and audaciously against conventional wisdom.
If you have ever been lost and then found, ever been brought in from the wilderness, ever been gently lifted by sacred hands and sacred hearts, you know something of the beauty of this peculiar, eccentric God. You know the joy of this God. You know this is a God worth your time and attention.
When, where, or how have you experienced yourself in the wilderness?
When, where, or how have you been found?
For whom does your sacred heart bleed?
—Douglas Gleber is the Director of Adult Faith Formation and Liturgy at Loyola Academy in Wilmette, IL.
Prayer
Gracious God, as we step into this day, open our hearts to your sacred heart. Give us the courage to name the ways we are lost, the grace to receive your love and mercy, and the compassion and fearlessness to reach out to those on the margins.
—Douglas Gleber