Overview:

Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

A Reflection for Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time

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 Godover one sinner who repents.” (Luke 15:1-10)

Find today’s readings here.

In today’s Gospel reading from Luke, we’re reminded of one of the most fundamental aspects of Christianity: Everyone is worth saving, and salvation is worth celebrating. This is a simple message but one that we sometimes forget. There are evil people in the world, and it can sometimes feel like they are too far gone. That’s not true, of course—every person, no matter what they’ve done, can be redeemed.

However, there is another point I’d like to raise in relation to this article: At the end of the day, God does not make value judgements based on statistics. God does not say, “Oh, I got ninety-nine out of a hundred people to be righteous, therefore it’s okay that I only let one get away.” In fact, the opposite is true. God celebrates every time that even one sinner repents. Conversely, God must also weep for every soul lost to sin. Every single one.

There is immense sadness that there are people who will not know God’s love. But it also means even more that the angels of God rejoice every time there is a soul that does come to them.

I think sometimes people get too caught up in statistics: We focus on doing the most good for the most people every single time. This makes sense but sometimes one must focus on the individual. After all, efficiency is not a virtue instilled in us by Christ. Everyone’s mission is different. Sometimes, we’re here to help one person. Sometimes, we’re here to help the whole. Sometimes, before we can do the latter, we must first do the former. Because how can we learn empathy without first caring about people, one person at a time?

The next time you make a donation and think that it settles your tab with God, maybe keep this in mind. The point is not the total amount of good that you do in the world. It is also about your own spiritual care, for both the health of your own soul and the souls of the people you interact with. It is how we are built as human beings, and it is how God wants us to act.

Kevin Christopher Robles is the studio production associate at America. He was previously an O'Hare Fellow and intern.