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?
Would we go and search for the lost sheep? Would we not look around us thinking that the ninety-nine were good enough and that we could afford to lose one? Yet God's heart is not easily sated. He longs for each of us not simply the majority. When we gather at his Eucharistic table he rejoices over those who come but his heart is moved for those who still stray.
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (see Luke 19:10). He wants this to be the desire of our hearts as well. He wants to raise up in us prophetic voices like the voice of Isaiah.
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 what are the tidings we are to cry out? They are the tidings of the joy of Christmas! They announce that the shepherd truly has come to seek out all the strays.
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.
There is more joy in finding the lost one than in the ninety-nine that did not stray. This is a similar situation to the prodigal who experienced afresh the joy of his father's love whereas the elder took it for granted. Whether we have strayed or not we can experience the utterly surprising immensity of the Father's love for us. We can experience the full joy of heaven.
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.
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