Gospel: Matthew 18:12-14
What do you think of this? If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them strays, won’t he leave the ninety-nine on the hillside, and go to look for the stray one? And I tell you, when he finally finds it, he is more pleased about it, than about the ninety-nine that did not go astray. It is the same with your Father in heaven. Your Father in heaven doesn’t want even one of these little ones to perish.
Reflection:
"The word of our God will forever stand.”
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will forever stand.” The first reading from Isaiah reminds us that all things fade and decay, but God’s word is everlasting. Saint Teresa of Avila in her famous prayer from her breviary says the same thing “All things pass, but God never changes.” It’s a message to encourage our confidence in God’s providence and that his merciful love will endure for ever (Ps 136:1). Jesus presents that care for each one of us in terms of a shepherd searching for the lost sheep and rejoicing when it is found. Today as we celebrate the feast of Saint Juan Diego, we remember his devotion to Our Lady, who had appeared to him and left an imprint on his cloak or mantle. His cloak then became Our Lady’s mantle, a sign of her protection. Therefore, we might think of God’s everlasting love and Mary’s loving intercession in terms of the shepherd’s crook and the mantle. Thus, to fly to Our Lady’s protection is never to ignore the Lord and his infinite care. Mary intercedes for us and leads us to him.
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