Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Today's Mass Readings

In today’s gospel passage, we encounter once again the parable of the lost sheep. This is the parable in which the shepherd, noticing that one sheep of his flock is missing, leaves the 99 and goes off in search of the lost sheep. When he finds the lost sheep, he rejoices and lifts the sheep up to his shoulders and carries it home to the flock. We can consider this parable from the perspective of the lost sheep. The lost sheep is alone, afraid, surrounded by dangers, and doesn’t know how to get back to where it belongs. I think we have all been that lost sheep at some point in our lives. I think possibly the hardest part is not knowing how to change things for the better.

But let us flip things around and consider the situation from the shepherd’s perspective, particularly that of Jesus, our Good Shepherd. For him, there is no such thing as a lost sheep; he always knows exactly where the lost sheep is, how the sheep got to be so lost, and, most importantly, how to get the sheep back to where it belongs. The sheep simply must turn and listen for the voice of the shepherd and begin to find his or her way back. In order to listen to the Good Shepherd, we have our prayer, the scriptures, the teachings of the Church, and good counsel from wise members of the congregation. In these we can find the comfort and guidance we need. This doesn’t mean the road will be easy; sometimes a shepherd needs to lead the sheep through rocky ground to get it to the good pasture. However, we can and should trust our Good Shepherd.

Reflection by Fr. Aquinas Keusenkothen, OSB