God never gives up on us, always welcoming us home
by Sister Lynne Marie Simonich
The “Searching God”. Were you ever part of a search party? What about a scavenger hunt? One is to find a lost person and the other to find clues to a “treasure”. Our Gospel for today is all about searching. A shepherd leaves 99 sheep to find one that has strayed. A woman looks through the night to find a coin lost in her house. A father searches for his son.
What would it be like to find a lost person? Wouldn’t there be great rejoicing once that person is found? How many of us have prayed to St. Anthony to find a lost object? What a relief when that is found.
The shepherd, the woman, and the father – all did not give up in their search. Picture that father standing on a hill every day watching for his son to return. What about the shepherd risking his life to find his precious sheep? And the woman – one coin might not seem like much to us but for her it was badly needed.
Jesus wants us to know that our God is like the shepherd, the woman, and the father – watching for us with love and compassion, waiting for us to return when we stray, offering a path when we are lost. God searches – God is the face of mercy.
Thank you for the image of a searching God. It brings to mind Psalm 139, and "The Hound of Heaven." You give me much to ponder today, Lynne Marie. Blessings!