December 6 - Frank Espinosa

Although today’s Gospel reading is extremely short, the message is extraordinarily meaningful.  As you know, the Gospel is a parable of a shepherd who was tending to the needs of his sheep, and unfortunately, one wanders away from the flock.  So, in his question to his disciples, Jesus sought the opinions or understanding of those men as to why the shepherd left the other 99 to search for the one lost sheep.

First and foremost, we should understand from this Gospel that Jesus loves us unconditionally; he will never leave us, and he will continually strive to bring us back to him.  This is a wonderful example of love in action and a gift available to us.  Furthermore, I believe the parable provides us an opportunity to examine the rationale behind the decision of the shepherd and to draw a relevant conclusion.  When we examine this story through the lens of empathy, we see that love, commitment, and care for the whole or greater good are paramount to the shepherd, and his willingness to know and engage in endless searching for the lost sheep is Jesus’ unconditional gift to humanity.  Like the lost sheep, we all may feel lost and alone at times in our lives and may not feel Jesus’ presence.  Even during those times, it is so important for us to know that Jesus is with us; like the shepherd who is searching, he never leaves us!