The Parable of the last Sheep

Some time ago, a US plane Boeing 707 crashed in a snowstorm near Dallase International Airport. Rescue crews were looking for debris in a few days. When we were struggling, a communiqué was issued that there was no hope of finding someone alive. All 93 people were killed. They were all “written off” for losses. The parable of the lost sheep tells us that a shepherd who had a hundred sheep had lost only one that she had lost, but at no cost did he want to be satisfied with the idea of ​​losing it forever. That’s why he was looking for her. He searched steadily. That is why the joy is great: “He will be more pleased with it than the ninety-nine who have not lost their minds” (Mt 18: 13).

It is an example of a good shepherd who is also looking for one lost sheep. When he finds it, he takes it on his shoulders and happily brings him to his flock … In this image, Jesus wanted to point out God’s unlimited love for every wicked sinner. Every sinner is worth him, for he pays for him by the death of his Son. God’s love and care for saving the sinful is one of the great mysteries of grace that is often misunderstood by people who consider themselves righteous. The basic idea here is the search for the lost, endangered and weak, not just the care for the good, willing and spiritually healthy.

“So your Father who is in heaven does not want only one of these little ones to perish” (Mt 18: 14). Out of this will of the Heavenly Father, the Son of God came to earth to seek and find what was lost. We see it eg. on the story of Zachej. Then Jesus declared before all: “The Son of Man has come to seek and save what is lost” (Lk 19: 10). For this reason, the Pharisees and scribes condemned Jesus to be friends with sinners, to sit with them and to speak. He addressed them with the words: “The doctor does not need health, but the sick. Go and learn what it means: “I want mercy, not sacrifice. I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners ”(Mt 9: 13).

They came to Bishop Albin Luciani once with the notion that one of those he was taking under their protection was not living a good life. They advised him not to meet him anymore, to ignore him and leave him to fate. On that day, however, Pope John Paul I wrote in his diary: “Do not the sick need a doctor? Did not the Lord come to call sinners and not righteous ones …?! ” And he could not be discouraged, but he continued his merciful love until he achieved that his men were also on the path of honest and perfect life.

In the biography of st. Gertrudes read that she was endowed with many supernatural visions. She said she saw Jesus Christ hanging on the cross. Staring at the bleeding hands of the Lord, the saint suddenly saw that not one but thousands of hands were sprung from the cross. She felt in her heart that the Lord wanted to reach the hearts of all people, but especially those who do not believe. The Lord told her that her prayers for the unbelievers directly heal his wounds one after another and that he could gradually withdraw his hands. The saint then said, “Lord. and why do you put your hands on those. The Lord said to her, “I put your heart on the unbelievers. Pray for them, deny them, for my blood also flows behind them, they also have immortal souls. I want them to return and they formed one community with me in faith … ”

When Jesus told us a parable of a shepherd who seeks the lost sheep and rejoices in finding it, he wanted to say how much he cares about every sinner. His words are so urgent that no one can be indifferent to them. Although maternal care for the faithful souls is a matter of course in the Church, the overriding task is missionary work and the search for prodigal sons. The Lord is here for everyone. For this is the will of the heavenly Father who is in heaven so that not one of these little ones may perish.