DIVINE WHISPER with Fr. PiusRalph EFFIONG, SMMM

THURSDAY OF THE 31ST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME OF THE YEAR

Celebration: Ferial

Table of the Word

First Reading: Romans 14:7–12

Gospel: Luke 15:1–10jj

Theme: The God Who Seeks and Saves the Lost

Reflection

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is found in the company of tax collectors and sinners. This annoys the Pharisees, who murmur, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Their objection reveals not only how they saw others, but also how they understood God. In their thought God is: distant, selective, transactional. But Jesus, in response, unveils the heart of the Father as a God who seeks, a God who finds, and a God who rejoices (cf. Luke 15:1–10)

The shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one may appear reckless, but Jesus shows that in the economy of divine love, no soul is expendable. God never looks at us in terms of majority or statistics. There is no “acceptable loss” in heaven. Each person carries infinite worth.

The same message reverberates in the parable of the woman who sweeps her whole house for a single lost coin. She stops everything until she finds it. And when she does, she calls her neighbours to rejoice.

This is the God we worship:

• Not the God who waits for the sinner to crawl back,

• But the God who goes out, searches, lifts, and carries.

It is in the light of this that, Saint Ambrose beautifully says:  “Let no one despair, for Christ comes to seek that which has perished.”

Meanwhile, the first reading from Romans reminds us that we do not live unto ourselves, nor do we die unto ourselves. We belong to the Lord. Each decision, each step, each return happens in God’s embrace. And one day, we will stand before Him, not to justify ourselves, but to allow His mercy to speak on our behalf.

My dear brothers and sisters, these lessons therefore some great questions before us:  - "Am I one of the ninety-nine who has forgotten the joy of mercy?" Or "am I the one being carried home today?"

- "Do I rejoice when others are healed, forgiven, restored or do I criticize like the Pharisees?"

Finally, the Gospel invites us to rediscover the joy of mercy both received and given.

+ Peace be with you.

© ARCHIVE 06112025