Found

The WORD today (see http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/110818.cfm) reminds me that God will find us wherever we are. 

Love is a very famous yet overused topic. We all want love – we want to be loved and we want to love, be it romantic love or otherwise. For romantic love, a lot of people want one. People search long and hard to find our one true love. But other people say that you don’t need to look for love, because love will find you. And since God is love, I believe this is true for him as well.

There is no problem if you can’t find God. He will find you.

In the gospel we see that Jesus came to dine with sinners. Yes, he did not stay in the temple to pray and be with the holy ones of that time. He came to the streets looking for sinners.

This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
“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?
……
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’
…..
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
….

‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents.”

God will go the extra mile to find you. That’s how special you are. No matter how sinful you are or you may feel, he will come to you. He will find you. 

Sometimes we feel ashamed to come to God, especially when we feel sinful, or when we know we are living in sin. We think that we need to clean ourselves first before we come to Him, before he can accept us. But I believe this is not the case. Christian rapper Lecrae echoes this in his song

So if you feel like you gotta clean yourself up 

Before you can come to Him, Forget it 

Just come to Him 

He’ll take you as you are, 

and he’ll change YOU From the inside, out

However, God finding us is not the end. Like the sheep in the gospel, even if the owner finds it, if the sheep would run away and resist, it won’t be back with him. In the same way, we should be ready and willing to accept Jesus. We should be willing to surrender and go back to him. We should be willing to let him bring us back, heal us, and change us.

How is my relationship with God? Do I feel close to him or not? Am I afraid to come to him? What prevents me from coming to him and surrendering to him wholeheartedly? What is he telling me today?

May we be reminded how special we are in God’s eyes, and be ready and willing to return with him when he finds us.

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for all the love you have been giving me. Thank you for seeing me in a special way, even if I don’t see myself that way. Thank you for taking the extra mile to find me. Sorry for staying away, sorry for not coming to you. Sorry for all my excuses. Lord, I pray that you never tire of looking for me and finding me. I want to be with you. I ask that you help me have a humble and contrite heart to come to you and come with you when you call me. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

November 8, 2018

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 488

Reading 1 PHIL 3:3-8A

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,
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.
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,
in zeal I persecuted the Church,
in righteousness based on the law I was blameless.

But whatever gains I had,
these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ.
More than that, I even consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.

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

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

Alleluia MT 11:28

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

Gospel LK 15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
"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?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
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.'
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.

"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
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.'
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."