31ST THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 15:1-10) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk 15:10)

FIRST READING - Rom 14:7-12

"Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s."

A reading from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans

⁷ None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. ⁸ For if we live, we live for the Lord,^[a] and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. ⁹ For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living. ¹⁰ Why then do you judge your brother? Or you, why do you look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God; ¹¹ for it is written:

“As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,    and every tongue shall give praise to God.”

¹² So [then] each of us shall give an account of himself [to God].

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Lk 15:1-10

"There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

✠From the Gospel according to Luke

^1 [a]The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, ² but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” ³ So to them he addressed this parable. ⁴ “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? ⁵ And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy ⁶ and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin. ⁸ “Or what woman having ten coins^[b] and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? ⁹ And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ ¹⁰ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

31ST THURSDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Gospel (Luke 15:1-10)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

Dear People of God,

The Word of God in today’s Gospel speaks of God’s love and mercy towards all humanity — especially toward sinners, the poor, and those most in need of His mercy.

Through the parable of the shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep and the woman who searches for the lost coin, God reveals to us how deep and wide His kindness and mercy for humankind is.

He came into the world to save sinners and the sick, not the righteous.

God has made it known that in this world there is no one righteous before God the Father, except the Blessed Virgin Mary.

During His public ministry, Jesus Christ travelled throughout the world proclaiming to all peoples the love of God — a love that has been imprinted upon the human heart from the moment of birth, so that each person may share it with others.

Today’s Word of God reminds us never to judge, criticize, or condemn our brothers and sisters, for such actions displease God.

Let us, instead, contemplate the love and mercy of God bestowed on humanity, which are manifested in the two parables: the shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep in the wilderness to seek out the one that was lost, and who rejoices greatly when he finds it.

That shepherd is the very image of God! When a sinner strays far from the loving embrace of God, He patiently and resolutely seeks that lost soul. And when He finds it, He tenderly places it upon His shoulders and holds it close to His heart, bringing it home again.

Then all the heavenly hosts — the angels and saints — rejoice and sing praises to God, because the lost sheep, the sinner, has returned to Him.

Through this parable of the lost sheep, we come to see how boundless God’s love and mercy truly is.

God patiently waits for every sinner to repent and return to Him. He never abandons a single soul but continually offers opportunities for conversion, return, and reconciliation with Him.

Through that, He wants to teach His disciples in the past and all of us in the present a lesson: to wait patiently for those who have sinfully gone astray to repent and return to God, but do not shun or condemn them.

Look and recognize the love and mercy God shows to all humanity. In the same way, mankind should show the same love, tolerance, and forgiveness to sinners.

Help sinners to return to God. For When we help a sinner return to God, we are also helping our own souls to live in a way that pleases Him.

And when that happens, all the Courts of heaven will rejoice and sing praises to God for the salvation of sinful souls that have returned to Him.

Likewise, in the parable of the woman who lost a coin.

Although the single coin may seem insignificant compared with the riches of the world, God's love and mercy are shown through the image of the woman looking for the coin. 

Through that it is shown that God loves each soul He has created and does not wish even one to fall into the captivity of Satan — for He knows how much suffering such a soul will endure and will be deprived of the happiness of being with Him.

Therefore, today’s Word of God calls each of us:

 • To remain patient, steadfast, and faithful in the love and mercy of God.

 • To live in love and tolerance toward all, especially toward sinful souls.

 • To help bring sinful souls back to God; for we must share the same love and mercy that God bestowed upon each of us with our neighbors.

Thanks be to God. Amen.