'Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.' - Lk 15:6
The parable of the lost sheep has a great sentimental value to me for two reasons. First, because the oldest memory I have of reading the Bible is reading this parable for my parents when I was just learning to read. And second, because for some time I took care of my father's small flock. To be honest I didn't really like that job and I did it only because I had no other choice. One day, I got distracted in my childhood fantasies and when I counted the herd, I realized that it was not complete. A little lamb that was born a few days before was missing. My father had told me to take special care of the little ones because there was a group of dogs that used to attack and kill them. I panicked! The idea of all the sufferings the dogs will cause to the little lamb if they find her was terrible. I cried and ran from one place to another looking for her and praying God to help me find her and that the dogs would not kill her. It took me around an hour to find the little lamb. I was so glad I found her that I hugged her and kissed her and spent the rest of the day with her. During the time I was looking for her I did not think about the rest of the herd, I knew that they were safe and that they could take care of themselves and go home by themselves.
Thinking about those moments makes me reflect on the meaning of this parable and a great joy and consolation fills my soul when I think that if a sinner like me worried so much and tried so hard to save a little animal, how much more will our Lord, who is all perfection and all love, do to find us who are His children? The conviction that God will never leave me alone when I fall makes me repeat the part of the Easter proclamation, "O happy fault that earned for us so great, so glorious a Redeemer!"
Have you acknowledged the presence of God when your life is not going in the right direction?
Blessed are You, Lord, because Your love never gives up on me. Your love and mercy give me the courage and strength to continue the mission You call me for.
Reflection by:
Gustavo Facio Orozco
Did You Know...
Gustavo Facio Orozco is a member of the Pastoral Juvenil Hispana. He is a parishioner at Corpus Christi in Temple Terrace where he is a lector for the Spanish Mass. Gustavo is currently studying psychology at the University of South Florida. He loves reading, traveling and grilling.
