Daily Liturgy
Thursday November 4
THIRTIETH-FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
LOST AND FOUND
Introduction
The heart of the Gospel and of Christianity, of the Christian community, of the Church – and therefore of the life of every Christian – lies in living for one another and somehow belonging to others: to God and to our neighbor, in love, mercy, mutual help, forming God’s community and celebrating this in our worship. Even our death, like that of Christ, should benefit others.
The whole chapter 15 of Luke deals with people who have lost something and find it back: a man finds a lost sheep, a woman a coin, and a father his son. All are extremely happy at the end, except the brother of the lost son. This joy expresses Jesus’ attention for all that is lost, rejected, devaluated in the eyes of people. Like Jesus, we have to keep looking for these people and to rejoice when they come back to God and to people.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
we know that Jesus came for everybody,
yet he wanted to find back
the very one given up by people:
the tax collector, the sinner, the prodigal.
Do not allow us in our zeal for what is right and good
to lose sight of this one person
who was written off by people,
yet who merited the special concern of your Son,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Reading 1: Rom 14:7-12
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.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 27:1bcde, 4, 13-14
(13) 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.
Alleluia: Mt 11:28
Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel: Lk 15:1-10
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”
Intercessions
– That leaders of the Church and of society may not lose themselves in chasing after power, prestige and wealth, we pray:
– That the Lord may give to his Church shepherds, who care very much about people who go astray and try to bring them back to the Lord, we pray:
– That in our communities, we support one another in trying to live the life of Christ, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
let your bread and wine remind us
of our solidarity even with all those
who live on the fringes of society.
You love them and they are part of us.
May we speak to them the encouraging word
for which they are waiting.
May we too, look for them and love them
with our Lord, Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.
Prayer after Communion
Lord, our God,
your kingdom is not the private domain
of those you have given the grace
to find you and to believe in you.
May we care with you and search with you
for the weak, the embarrassed and the timid,
without any attitude of superiority or condescension.
Help us to be a community
in which there is enough space for everyone
for human growth and dignity for all.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
God looked for us and found us because he loved us long before we were aware of it. We know that he loves all and wants all to belong to his kingdom. May we help anyone to find the Lord, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
The fifteenth chapter of Luke is rich in setting forth God s concern for the sinner who has strayed from the path. It contains three parables (the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son), the first two of which appear in today’s Gospel. It may be a little hard for us to imagine leaving a large flock of sheep in the desert to go in search of one that was lost, or to think of a woman, even one of modest means, who does a thorough house cleaning to find one coin and then holds an open house to celebrate its discovery.
The parables are meant to illustrate God’s concern for a single person who has wandered from the truth. With the person’s conversion to the Lord, there is not solely human joy but also a happiness that resounds in heaven. Any person involved in pastoral ministry recognizes the joy of conversion. If it occurs through the sacrament of reconciliation, it is evident that a heavy burden as been lifted, and the homecoming is deeply appreciated. The Gospel today tells us that this joy is echoed in heaven.
Whether alive or dead, says Paul today, we belong to the Lord. We shall all be held accountable for our actions. For this reason, there is nothing to be gained by judging others. We will have our own accounting to make when we stand before God. When we read the parables of discovery or forgiveness, we are reminded of how much we are loved. We may have wandered in life, but once back in our Father’s house, we may feel confident about the future.
Points to Ponder
Lost and found Heaven’s joy at conversion
Being non-judgmental.