When we look at a crowd, that’s all we tend to see—a crowd.  We see people, not individuals. Just a mass of faces, like a herd of humans.

It’s the same with sheep. When you look at a hundred of them, you don’t see one. You see a blur of wool, all alike. None of them stands out.  

But not so with the shepherd. A good shepherd knows each of his sheep. He sees their faces. He knows their stories.  

That’s the point of the parable Jesus told. When the shepherd goes after the one that’s lost, it’s because every sheep matters. Each one is unique. Each one is known. Each one is counted.

And that includes you.  

Believe this, my friend: you matter to God.  

Even in a crowd, He sees you.  

He knows you.  

Your story matters to Him.  

You are never just one of many. You are counted. 

Arun Gogna (gognuts@yahoo.com)

reflect

God seeks you out because you matter to Him.

Thank You, Lord, for letting me know that I am counted. Amen. 

Saint Elizabeth, pray for us.

In today’s reading, Saint Paul declares that everything else is worthless compared to knowing Christ and experiencing the power of His saving grace. He came to this realization through the depth of his own conversion. That same grace, alive in Paul’s life, is the very grace that has carried us to where we stand in our faith today. Let us keep building on that foundation and trust that God will equip us with all we need to live as His faithful disciples.

³ Brothers and sisters: We are the circumcision, we who worship through the Spirit of God, who boast in Christ Jesus and do not put our confidence in flesh, ⁴ although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh. ^If anyone else thinks he can be confident in flesh, all the more can I. ⁵ Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, ⁶ in zeal I persecuted the Church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless. ⁷ But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. ⁸ More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

R: Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.

² Sing to him, sing his praise, proclaim all his wondrous deeds. ³ Glory in his holy name; rejoice, O hearts that seek the Lord! (R)  ⁴ Look to the Lord in his strength; seek to serve him constantly. ⁵ Recall the wondrous deeds that he has wrought, his portents, and the judgments he has uttered. (R) ⁶ You descendants of Abraham, his servants, sons of Jacob, his chosen ones! ⁷ He, the Lord, is our God; throughout the earth his judgments prevail. (R)

Gospel | Luke 15:1-10

God rejoices when we repent of our sins. He rejoices when we return to the fold of the faithful. He rejoices when we accept His loving mercy and allow Him to heal our broken and tragic lives. Jesus always faces a difficult situation —He entrusts everything to the Father and allows His love to draw people into a life of faith. Let us follow Jesus wherever He leads us so we may find true fulfillment of heart and life.

Gospel Acclamation

Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

¹ The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, ² but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³ So Jesus addressed this parable to them.  ⁴ “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? ⁵ And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy ⁶ 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.’ ⁷ 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. ⁸ “Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? ⁹ 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.’ ¹⁰ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Read the Bible in one year! Read ISAIAH 57 - 60 today.

Minimalism is quickly becoming a trend these days. We always hear the catchphrase “less is more.” But in reality, minimalism is the natural flow of things as we age.

God allows us to see, experience, and acquire everything in the world before we realize that less is more—that it is in losing that we truly gain. For some, the realization may come early in life, while with others, much later. But surely, it does come. That is the kindness and generosity of God with us. He is indeed a Father who lets us discover life by ourselves without forgetting to teach and remind us of the more important things like faith, hope, and love. Sometimes, our values get misplaced, yet God takes His time before intervening. He allows us to get lost, only to seek and find us later so we learn His lessons firsthand. This is what Saint Paul must have gone through and tells us today in the First Reading: “But whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. . . . I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:7-8).

Our Gospel today shows Jesus’ preferential treatment for the “small” ones. What shepherd would leave the 99 sheep to look for one that was lost? The Pharisees and scribes could not accept and understand this. The tax collectors and sinners were so small in the eyes of society at that time, despite their power and wealth, yet it was those considered least who accepted and flocked to Jesus.

Indeed, less is always more when all we have is Jesus Christ, who had come to fulfill our lives, our longings, our emptiness. Let us learn to appreciate the value and importance of little things, of the small ones we take for granted in this age of social influence. 

Fr. Nick Lalog

reflection question

How much trust do you have in God’s unconditional love for you despite your flaws and misgivings?

Lord Jesus Christ, teach us to be like You who sees that even the single one is too many to lose because each one is special and uniquely irreplaceable. May we also be able to love like You. Amen.

Today, I pray for: _________________________________________________