Gospel: Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father.
What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost.”
But
how about Jesus? How does He look at those whom others have rejected, judged,
or considered unworthy of love? Jesus dearly loves the black sheep and those
who have strayed. He constantly searches for them, wherever they may be, until
He finds them. This is the depth of God’s love for us: He patiently searches
for us when we wander away, and when He finds us, He does not condemn or
abandon us. Instead, He lovingly brings us back into His embrace.
We
must always remember that Jesus’ mission is to seek and save the lost—to bring
back those who have gone astray, those who are misguided, and those who have
fallen into sin. He never looks at us merely through the lens of our mistakes.
He sees the person we can become through His grace. He sees beyond our past and
calls us back to a life of love, repentance, and holiness.
But
what if those who are lost do not want to change their lives? What if they
choose to continue living in sin and refuse to return to God? What are we going
to do? Should we give up on them and simply let them continue on the path they
have chosen?
Of
course not.
When
we give up on those who are lost, it is as if we have already surrendered to
discouragement and allowed evil to have the final word. But that must not be
our attitude. We are called to remain hopeful, patient, prayerful, and
compassionate. Good must always triumph over evil, and love must always be
greater than rejection.
Therefore,
we must not easily give up on those who have lost their way. We must continue to
seek them, pray for them, encourage them, and patiently reach out to them. And
when God gives us the opportunity to find them again, let us not condemn them
because of their past. Instead, let us welcome them with compassion and
lovingly lead them toward Jesus.
Perhaps
some of us have also been like the black sheep. Perhaps we have made mistakes
that we deeply regret. Perhaps there were moments when we wandered far from God
and felt that we were no longer worthy of His love. Yet Jesus did not give up
on us. He searched for us. He waited for us. He called us back. And when we
finally turned toward Him, His arms were still open.
This is the mercy we have received. And this is the mercy we are called to extend to others. Let us never forget: the person whom we may be tempted to give up on today could be someone whom Jesus is still patiently searching for.
So,
are we willing to become instruments of Jesus’ love by seeking those who are
lost, refusing to define them by their past, and patiently helping them find
their way back to God—or have we already given up on someone whom Jesus has
never stopped loving?—Marino J. Dasmarinas
