24th Sunday: Lost and Found

09-08-2019Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us about the joy and happiness when a lost sheep and coin is found. There is great joy in heaven when somebody who is lost, is found and finds his/her way back home.

Please endure and persevere in looking – The Gospel tells us that a sheep and a coin is found because somebody did not give up. Lesson: keep looking, don’t quit on anything and on anyone. In life, it’s not just about wisdom and hard work, it also requires endurance and perseverance.

Don’t give up also on goodness, you can find it at anytime. Sometimes you can find it in the most unexpected time, place, and people. The Gospel tells us that the Lord does not give up on our goodness, so please don’t give up on our own and on other’s goodness. No one has the monopoly on goodness. Even when it seems uncommon, we must not stop believing in other’s and our own innate goodness.

I was coming back to Manila from a trip north, it was raining hard, everybody was trying to return to the city after a long holiday weekend. Waiting for hours at the bus terminal, all buses coming farther north were full, many had people standing in the aisles. Until finally, with one particular bus, I asked the bus conductor if I could sit on the aisle in the last row which was always elevated, leaving a space for one person to sit. The conductor asked the driver, and the driver instead, offered the step beside him, and gave me a piece of mat where I could sit. So, I ended up sitting beside the driver, with the best view on the bus. The tollway was bumper to bumper traffic, everyone was coming back to Manila after a long weekend. Thanks to the goodness of the driver, he kept me company with his many stories. We got stuck in the traffic, but time flew indeed, I had the most wonderful conversation with the bus driver and the conductor until we arrived at the bus station late in the evening. Before leaving the bus, I extended my sincere thanks to the them for accommodating me and for the wonderful trip and evening.

God hates sin, but He loves the sinner. It’s easy to condemn sinners, but God sees beyond what we see, He sees the conversion, the redemption and the salvation of sinners. Remember, He endures and perseveres looking and waiting, and He is not rushed in condemning the sinner, so do not be rushed in condemning others as well.

September 14 reminds us of the Triumph of the Cross, the Lord saved us through His death on the cross. The cross leads us to liberation from our sinfulness and onward to victory. Humanity was lost, God through His Son, found us, brought us back through the Cross. May this cross continue to transform and set us free. The experience of the saints tells us that there is no sinner without a future, and there is no saint without a past. Lord, thank you for not giving up on us, though many of us have been lost, you found us and brought us back to you.