My Brothers and Sisters in the Lord –
We have all lost things. There is not one of us who has not lost something precious – or very valuable sometime in the past. Perhaps, it was a ring or something else of great sentimental value. Perhaps, it was a person, with whom we had a close relationship; a dear friend, a child, a parent, or a spouse – with whom we are, now, estranged.
In the Book of Exodus, in the 1st readin, God is about to allow the Chosen People to self-destruct in the desert. After all that God had done to deliver them from Egypt and the Pharaoh – they still refused to obey Him. They wanted an image of God that they could see and feel and touch – like the pagans.
In his letter to Timothy, St. Paul in the 2nd readin is beyond grateful for all that Jesus had done for him unlike the Israelites in the 1st reading. Jesus came to save sinners – and Paul insists that he is the worst of sinners. And if he, Paul, was treated mercifully, then there is hope for the worst of us – for the most lost of us!
Brothers and Sisters, let us remember that No matter who we are or how we have sinned – God still loves us and wants to take us to Himself. Let us never forget this or lose hope in the face of sin.
Let us pray, today, that we are never among the self-righteous who think they don’t need to be different and change – who don’t know they are truly lost and need to be found!