In Jesus’ time, “sinners” were marginalized and treated with contempt. Today, attitudes have changed. People who were considered sinners back then would now be mainstream. Some of them would even be famous people. But one thing is still the same. People still judge others by the company they keep.
Perhaps we receive the Eucharist frequently. Jesus is spending a lot of time with us. However, how would we tell that we have been spending time with the Lord Jesus? What is Jesus and his influence on us? Are his teachings reflected in our lives?
Jesus’ description of going out to get the sinner is truly consoling. Perhaps we have personally experienced how Jesus came to our rescue, during those times we were wandering far from his flock and realized that we needed him. But how do we continue to stay in Jesus’ flock? The Good Shepherd gives us so many tools, but we need to use them. But if we slacken in our prayer life and have a lack of fervor in the sacraments, we may find ourselves wandering outside of Jesus’ flock.
Today, let us focus on being faithful to Jesus Christ. Let us soak up the grace of Jesus’ divine influence so that we will truly reflect in our actions, the reality of Jesus’ work in our soul. Let us ask Jesus to grant us a burning desire so that we too can help him bring back the lost sheep.
