Have you experienced being lost? How did it feel to finally find your way? That is also how God feels when He loses us and then finds us back again - Daily Reflections November 7,2013

WE ARE THE LORD’S

 

A very clear statement regarding ourselves is what we have in today’s First Reading from St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans: “Both in life and in death we are the Lord’s.” So is it any wonder that in the corresponding Gospel for today, the parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin, the shepherd and the woman considered their loss as unbearable and they didn’t stop until they recovered what they were looking for?

       Incidentally, it often happens to us as well, that we lose things (like our cell phone, for example). We misplace them, forget them or leave them behind somewhere. In an effort to recover them, we have recourse to “lost and found” announcements or ask the intercession of St. Anthony of Padua. But even with these, there is no foolproof guarantee that we will find or revover the lost items. At the root of such an unpleasant experience is the identity and belongingness of the thing. When threatened by theft or loss, its identity is endangered.

       That is why, for us, our fundamental identity as creatures of God and children of the Father is something we should always keep in mind. Again, “both in life and in death we are the Lord’s.” Because of this, we cannot pass judgment on others just because they happen to stray away or engage in attitudes and behaviors which seem inconsistent with their fundamental identity.

       The early Christians of St. Paul’s time were in fact quarreling over clean and unclean foods (as prescriptions to identify themselves). On the other hand, the Pharisees and the scribes of the Gospel were disdaining the tax collectors and sinners who were associating with Jesus. Issues like these undermine our universal Christian identity and belongingness to God. He, more than anybody else, owns us.

       Thank God that should we be lost, it is He himself who will take pains  to search for us and bring us back where we belong. Indeed, “we are the Lord’s.” Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you experienced being lost? How did it feel to finally find your way? That is also how God feels when He loses us and then finds us back again.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for always looking out for me. May I never stray from Your embrace again.