Parable Of The Lost Sheep

NOVEMBER 03, 2022, THURSDAY

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time (Green) 

Optional Memorial of Saint Martin de Porres, Religious (White)

CYCLE C - YEAR II

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.”

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?’ Perhaps this is a real question, and not a rhetorical one: would I be ready to give so much importance to one lost sheep out of one hundred? Yet God does exactly that. I might be feeling the lost sheep just now, or I may know someone who does. Lord, give me the love and the freedom to feel loved and cared for in a special way by you; help me to show that love and care to others.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you welcome all into your warm embrace. When we are lost your come to find us. When we are in despair You come to lift us up. When we feel forsaken, You remind us of your great love for each one of us. Thank you for loving us just as we are.

The Lost Sheep

DECEMBER 07, 2021, TUESDAY
Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (White)
CYCLE C - YEAR II
Lectionary: 182

Reading I
Is 40:1-11

    Comfort, give comfort to my people,

        says your God.

    Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her

        that her service is at an end,

        her guilt is expiated;

    Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD

        double for all her sins.

        A voice cries out:

    In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!

        Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!

    Every valley shall be filled in,

        every mountain and hill shall be made low;

    The rugged land shall be made a plain,

        the rough country, a broad valley.

    Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,

        and all people shall see it together;

        for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

    A voice says, “Cry out!”

        I answer, “What shall I cry out?”

    “All flesh is grass,

        and all their glory like the flower of the field.

    The grass withers, the flower wilts,

        when the breath of the LORD blows upon it.

        So then, the people is the grass.

    Though the grass withers and the flower wilts,

        the word of our God stands forever.”

    Go up onto a high mountain,

        Zion, herald of glad tidings;

    Cry out at the top of your voice,

        Jerusalem, herald of good news!

    Fear not to cry out

        and say to the cities of Judah:

        Here is your God!

    Here comes with power

        the Lord GOD,

        who rules by his strong arm;

    Here is his reward with him,

        his recompense before him.

    Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;

        in his arms he gathers the lambs,

    Carrying them in his bosom,

        and leading the ewes with care.

Responsorial Psalm
96:1-2, 3 and 10ac, 11-12, 13

R.    (see Isaiah 40:10ab)  The Lord our God comes with power.

Sing to the LORD a new song;

    sing to the LORD, all you lands.

Sing to the LORD; bless his name;

    announce his salvation, day after day.

R.    The Lord our God comes with power.

Tell his glory among the nations;

    among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.

Say among the nations: The LORD is king;

    he governs the peoples with equity.

R.    The Lord our God comes with power.

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice;

    let the sea and what fills it resound;

    let the plains be joyful and all that is in them!

Then let all the trees of the forest rejoice.

R.    The Lord our God comes with power.

They shall exult before the LORD, for he comes;

    for he comes to rule the earth.

He shall rule the world with justice

    and the peoples with his constancy.

R.    The Lord our God comes with power.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

The day of the Lord is near;

Behold, he comes to save us.

R. Alleluia, alleluia

Gospel
Mt 18:12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:

“What is your opinion? 

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,

will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills

and go in search of the stray? 

And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it

than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. 

In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father

that one of these little ones be lost.”

REFLECTION:

Jesus is telling us very clearly that every life is precious in his eyes. Every person I meet is invaluable and irreplaceable. Jesus turns conventional attitudes upside down: the ‘little ones’, the people whom the world does not rate as important, are the most precious of all. Will my attitudes today reflect this?

PRAYER:

I ask the Lord that I too may care for the ‘little ones’ – those who are vulnerable and cannot cope with life’s demands.

Image may contain: one or more people, people standing and outdoor. 

Parable Of The Lost Sheep

NOVEMBER 04, 2021, THURSDAY
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop (White)
CYCLE B - YEAR I
Lectionary: 488

Reading I
Rom 14:7-12

Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:
    As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
        and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

Responsorial Psalm
27:1bcde, 4, 13-14

R.    ( 13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

The LORD is my light and my salvation;
    whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
    of whom should I be afraid?

R.    I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

One thing I ask of the LORD;
    this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
    all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
    and contemplate his temple.

R.    I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
    in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
    be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.

R.    I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

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.”

REFLECTION:

‘Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?’ Perhaps this is a real question, and not a rhetorical one: would I be ready to give so much importance to one lost sheep out of one hundred? Yet God does exactly that. I might be feeling the lost sheep just now, or I may know someone who does. Lord, give me the love and the freedom to feel loved and cared for in a special way by you; help me to show that love and care to others.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you welcome all into your warm embrace. When we are lost your come to find us. When we are in despair You come to lift us up. When we feel forsaken, You remind us of your great love for each one of us. Thank you for loving us just as we are.