20251106 MISSION TO THE LEAST AND THE LOST AS OUR PRIORITY
06 November 2025, Thursday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 14:7-12 |
Each of us must give an account of himself to God
The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. This is also why you should never pass judgement on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgement seat of God; as scripture says: By my life – it is the Lord who speaks – every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 26(27):1,4,13-14 |
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
The Lord is my light and my help;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
before whom shall I shrink?
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
There is one thing I ask of the Lord,
for this I long,
to live in the house of the Lord,
all the days of my life,
to savour the sweetness of the Lord,
to behold his temple.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
Hope in the Lord!
I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness in the land of the living.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
Alleluia!
Or: | Mt11:28 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 15:1-10 |
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner
The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.
‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’
MISSION TO THE LEAST AND THE LOST AS OUR PRIORITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 14:7-12; Ps 27:1,4,13-14; Lk 15:1-10]
What Is our primary mission as Catholics? Very often, we think our mission is to build the Church of God, strengthen, and expand our Catholic communities. Indeed, this is necessary and cannot be excluded. However, the heart of Christ’s mission is always directed toward the least and the lost. Jesus has a preferential option for the poor, the marginalised, and sinners. At the beginning of His ministry, He cited from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Lk 4:18-19)
In today’s Gospel, we hear the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. We take note that these parables were addressed to the Pharisees and the Scribes: “The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what He had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man,’ they said, ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.'” They were annoyed and scandalised that Jesus was mixing with sinners and tax collectors — the traitors of their people. As far as the religious leaders were concerned, such people were condemned and had no place among the People of God. They judged them as incorrigible and hopeless. While it was true that they were sinners, for Jesus there was always hope for conversion. He never gave up on sinners, the lost, the broken, or the difficult.
Some of us may behave the same way as the religious leaders. We condemn people who are different from us. This was also the situation in the time of St. Paul when he wrote to the Romans. There was division within the Christian community over whether it was right to eat meat offered to idols. In St. Paul’s understanding, it was permissible, because idols have no power over us unless we surrender our power to them. Idols are illusions — nothing at all. So, food offered to idols is offered to nothingness. However, some Jewish Christians found this practice taboo and believed it went against the faith. For the Roman Christians, it was not an issue; in fact, it was difficult for them to observe such a rule because they could never be sure whether the food sold in the market had already been offered to the gods. It was simply impractical. Yet their faith in Christ was never in question.
That was why St. Paul urged the community “not to pass judgment on a brother or treat him with contempt, as some of you have done. We shall all have to stand before the judgment seat of God; as Scripture says: By my life — it is the Lord who speaks — every knee shall bend before me, and every tongue shall praise God. It is to God, therefore, that each of us must give an account of himself.” Truly, we never know the circumstances of those we deem as “sinners” because we do not know their motives. We cannot judge them as sinners, for only God knows their hearts. We may judge their actions, but God alone sees their intentions.
Hence, Jesus told them the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin. God wants to redeem every person, whether sinner or saint. That is why Jesus always welcomed sinners and even ate with them, including tax collectors. No one was beyond redemption and salvation in Christ’s eyes, for the love of God extends to everyone. This is what the parable of the lost sheep teaches us: just as the shepherd would “leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it,” so too “there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.” Jesus came for sinners, as He made clear: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (Mk 2:17) The joy of finding one who is lost and reconciling that person to God — giving them a new lease on life — kept Jesus reaching out to sinners. Indeed, those of us who have been instrumental in bringing hope and new life to someone understand the joy of conversion and repentance.
Yet the truth is that we are all sinners. This explains why Heaven rejoices more over one lost sinner who is found than over the ninety-nine who did not need repentance. When we become self-righteous and think we are holy, we close ourselves off from God. Only those who recognise their need for God remain humble and aware of their own inadequacies and sinfulness. In the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector, Jesus said, “I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Lk 18:14)
Again, the parable of the woman who found the lost coin reveals much about God’s mercy and compassion. This parable may seem similar to that of the Lost Sheep, but it emphasises that finding a lost sinner requires diligent effort. We must intentionally look out for them — with patience, tact, and perseverance. We are called to search for them on behalf of Christ our Master, whom we serve. Christ has shown us the example we must follow: to find the “lost sheep” and the “lost coin” is the disciple’s priority. Just as Jesus constantly reached out to sinners, so must we as His disciples.
The truth, however, is that we are often not interested in saving sinners or those who have left the Church. We tend to stick to our own kind, among our own members and cell groups. We reduce the Church to a small enclave of communities — a kind of club where we associate only with those we find comfortable and familiar. Even among Church ministries and groups, we sometimes fail to acknowledge one another and may even see others as competitors for popularity or power. But the reason we come together is so that we can reach out to others — especially the weak and wounded members, those who have left the Church, and those outside it who are struggling to find friendship and support. Unless we reach beyond our confines, we have not truly lived out our calling to engage sinners as Christ did.
Thus, it is important to realise, as St. Paul reminds us, “The life and death of each of us has its influence on others.” This explains why Christ both died and rose again: so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living. We all influence one another for better or for worse. We cannot isolate ourselves from our past, our background, our traditions, or the people around us. We are who we are today because of our upbringing. Yet, at the same time, we have the power to remake ourselves. We can change our situation for the better. We are not determined by our past; we have the freedom to make choices in life. We can choose to be happy or sad, and we can make others happy or sad. As St. Paul said, we have influence over one another. Therefore, we must decide to use our lives and even our deaths to inspire and transform others. The way we live and the way we die should inspire others to live and die with meaning and purpose, departing this world with graciousness and thankfulness.
We can do this only if “we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that whether alive or dead, we belong to the Lord.” By living in God’s presence and remaining accountable to Him, we will live in such a way that glorifies Him in all that we do. Let us therefore live for the Lord by offering our lives to Him in humble service and generosity. If we face suffering and trials, let us take the opportunity to die with Him in love and obedience to the Father’s will. And when the time comes for us to depart, we too must do so willingly, ready to face the judgment seat of God, who will render to each according to our deeds. Then, as the psalmist says, we shall be ready to “live in the house of the Lord and savour the sweetness of the Lord.”
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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