Today's Gospel

Choose Your Character

What jumps out at you today? Today's reading. For some reason, I was attracted today to the idea of all the different people. So if you ask the question, who are you in today's gospel? Let me take a quick look at who the people are. So firstly, we've got the tax collectors and the sinners drawing near to Jesus. That's the opening line of the gospels. When we read that, did you think, "Yeah, okay, I'm with them." And then we've got the Pharisees and the scribes, they're murmuring, basically being judgmental and critical and all that stuff. And then we've got Jesus telling the parable. So we've got Jesus, and then we've got the parable, and we've got the guy who lost the sheep. Maybe you think, "Gee, I'm sort of like the guy who lost the sheep." Or then we got the sheep. Maybe you think, "Well, I'm actually, yeah, I'm probably the lost sheep." Or, "I was the lost sheep. And I'm really grateful that I'm not the lost sheep anymore." And then you got the rejoicing. You got the friends and the neighbors. Maybe you're the friends and the neighbors. When something good happens to somebody else, do you rejoice in that? I was talking to the kids the other day, they're asking me like, "How do you know if a friend's really good?" I said, "A good friend is really happy for you when something good happens for you, not for them, but for you." And some people are, some people aren't. A lot of people are envious, jealous, that sort of thing. But a really good friend rejoices with you when something good has happened for you, and that's what happens here with the neighbors and the friends. And then you've got the woman who's lost the coin. Maybe you associate with the woman. And then she's got her neighbors. And then you've got the angels in heaven rejoicing.

So as you read today's gospel, as you listen to today's gospel, who are you? Which of those people do you most identify with today? And as I've mentioned to you before, I think a great reflection is to take the reading for a few minutes later today and look at each person and try and work out in what way are you like that person? In what way are you like the sinners and the tax collectors, the Pharisees and the scribes, Jesus, the lost sheep, the found sheep, the neighbors and the friends rejoicing, the woman who lost a coin, the angels in heaven rejoicing, God in heaven rejoicing, and of course, Jesus at the center of it all? In what way are you like each and every single one of those people? Or at what time in your life have you most been like each one of those people? There are a thousand ways to explore the gospel. That's why it's ever fresh. It's why it's ever radical. That's why it's ever relevant. Thanks for joining us. Have a great day, and remember, Be Bold, Be Catholic.