Third Sunday after Pentecost
WE are happier with the " things we are familiar with than with the strange. Our Lord never failed to use the homely example, the familiar phrase. to illustrate the divine truths He taught. He did not want u.s to treat our religion as something divorced from everyday life, in a compartment apart. For the life He brought to us was an everyday thing influencing our actions at all times. The shepherd was a familiar sight in our Lord's time, the lost coin and the diligent housewife are still with us and so is the great mercy of God towards the sinner.
To be lost in a barren place well describes the position of so many in the crowded world of today. Lost in the sense that they are separated from the leader, exposed to the dangers from without. When the Minister of Transport complains about the road signs in Britain and their uselessness we can assume that things must be bad on the roads. How terrible it is for those who have no road signs at all. They are unaware of the destination. Not only those who lack faith can be called lost but also the sinner who so often suffers from this unawareness. In every sense is he lost and without a
sense of direction. Christ comes to give him more than directions He comes to take him by the hand, goes so far as to seek him out so that he can reach the fold once more. How different this picture is from the aloof image so many practising Catholics have of God.
One of the dangers to which the lost sheep is exposed is an attack by the wild untamed animals who look for an opportunity to devour the straying lamb. St. Peter, commissioned to feed the lambs of Christ. fears this and warns
against it. There are always those who long to strip us of virtue and guide our steps into forbidden paths. Faith alone will make us strong enough to combat these dangers. The driving mirror in a car enables us to see behind, it is our third eye to warn us of dangers. Faith is our driving mirror to reveal not only what is otherwise unseen but also to warn us of the dangers. Like a good driving instructor St. Peter will tells us to he sober and watch. Joy there is in heaven over the sheep that is found but surely no less a joy over the sheep that never gets lost. Both can be sure of the love of the Divine Shepherd.
Fr. PASCHAL, O.F.M. Cap.