Thursday after Misericordias Domini
Posted on May 5, 2022 by under
Scripture: St. Matthew 18:10-14 (NKJV)
18:10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. 11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.
12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Devotion
Jesus is a hunter. But He does not hunt that He may find and kill, but that He may find and save. His very nature compels Him to do so. And since there are always plenty of lost sheep to be found, He is incessantly active. Scripture is replete with examples that highlight His restless diligence. Whether it be a lost coin, a lost son, or a lost sheep, Jesus wants us to know how much He values each and every one of us. We hear His words in today’s reading about the one lost sheep: “And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. Even so it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
Likewise, we are to have the same attitude in seeking the lost. Out of loving concern for the eternal welfare of our brothers and sisters, we are called to seek those who have gone astray. It is this mindset, then, that sets the stage for the next verses which address how we are to admonish those who have drifted from the flock.
Prayer: God, Who, by the humiliation of Thy Son, didst raise up the fallen world: Grant unto Thy faithful ones perpetual gladness, and those whom Thou hast delivered from the danger of everlasting death, do Thou make partakers of eternal joys; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
