20261105 THE JOY OF HELPING PEOPLE TO DISCOVER CHRIST AS THEIR LORD
05 November 2026, Thursday, 31st Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Philippians 3:3-8 |
I was faultless according to the Law; but without knowing Christ I was nothing
We are the real people of the circumcision, we who worship in accordance with the Spirit of God; we have our own glory from Christ Jesus without having to rely on a physical operation. If it came to relying on physical evidence, I should be fully qualified myself. Take any man who thinks he can rely on what is physical: I am even better qualified. I was born of the race of Israel and of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents, and I was circumcised when I was eight days old. As for the Law, I was a Pharisee; as for working for religion, I was a persecutor of the Church; as far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless. But because of Christ, I have come to consider all these advantages that I had as disadvantages. Not only that, but I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 104(105):2-7 |
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O sing to the Lord, sing his praise;
tell all his wonderful works!
Be proud of his holy name,
let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Consider the Lord and his strength;
constantly seek his face.
Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, the judgements he spoke.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
O children of Abraham, his servant,
O sons of the Jacob he chose.
He, the Lord, is our God:
his judgements prevail in all the earth.
Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps129:5 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.
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.’
THE JOY OF HELPING PEOPLE TO DISCOVER CHRIST AS THEIR LORD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [PHILIPPIANS 3:3-8; PS 104:2-7; LUKE 15:1-10]
In the Gospel, Jesus gives us the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin in response to the criticism of the scribes and Pharisees, who complained, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,” as “the tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say.” It is significant that these outcasts of society sought our Lord’s company. They were eager to hear from Him simply because Jesus was inclusive. He did not judge them or marginalise them. In fact, He went out of His way to be among them and even share fellowship with them–something unthinkable in those days, as a holy man was expected to keep himself uncontaminated by refusing to eat or drink with sinners. But Jesus was clear about His calling in life, as He said earlier: “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 to repentance.” (Lk 5:31-32)
Through these parables, Jesus seeks to motivate us to reach out to sinners and lost souls, even when they are difficult, resistant, or hostile to our efforts. We cannot shy away simply because they reject the Gospel; rather, we must remain patient and persevering. When we are tempted to give up, we should focus on the joy of eventually bringing them home. As St. James reminds us: “If anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (Jas 5:19-20) Reaching out to those who do not know Christ–or those who have left the Church due to hurt, misunderstanding, or being led astray by sin and worldly distractions–is a noble and worthy calling. Bringing back sinners requires two virtues: patience and anticipatory joy.
The first virtue is patience. In both the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin, finding what was lost requires patience and perseverance. Searching for a lost sheep in the rugged wilderness is difficult and dangerous, as wild animals like wolves pose a constant threat to one’s life. We can imagine the stress and danger involved. Yet, patience and perseverance prevail. The shepherd could have reasoned that it was only one sheep among ninety-nine, but every sheep is vital to him because he cares for them as a parent cares for children. If parents have ten children and one goes missing, how could they not be deeply affected? Every child is precious because they are flesh and blood. The same is true for God: every single soul is precious to Him. He does not judge us by our status or what we can contribute; because we are created in His image and likeness, every human life possesses an intrinsic dignity.
A similar patience is seen in the woman who lost one of her ten drachmas. A single drachma was equivalent to a full day’s wage for an ordinary worker, giving it significant material value. Beyond that, the ten coins may have formed part of her traditional wedding headdress or dowry, giving the missing coin immense sentimental value as well–the headdress remained incomplete without it. Driven by its worth, she lit a lamp, swept every corner of the room, and searched thoroughly until she found it.
Secondly, both the shepherd and the woman recognised that their lives were incomplete while something remained lost. More importantly, the emphasis in both stories falls not only on the diligent search, but on the overwhelming joy of finding what was lost. This joy does not stem from commercial value, but from the deep happiness of reunion. What greater joy is there than being reunited with those we love? This joy is so profound that it calls for a celebration, underscoring that relational restoration far outweighs material wealth.
When we apply these parables to the restoration of sinners into communion with God and the Church, we can readily identify with the emotion and the truth of what the parables seek to transmit. Jesus was teaching His disciples the value of every human person in the eyes of God. God desires for us to cooperate with Him in drawing sinners back. Indeed, Christ showed us the depth of His love and mercy while we were still distant, as St. Paul writes: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8) As the Good Shepherd, God is overjoyed when a lost sheep returns to Him. It was the prospect of this great joy that motivated Jesus to associate with sinners, and this same hope should drive our efforts so that we, too, may share in God’s joy when a lost soul returns.
This was vividly demonstrated in the life of Saul, who considered himself the greatest of sinners before being won back for Christ. As he testified in his letter to Timothy: “I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he judged me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the foremost. But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience, making me an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.” (1 Tim 1:12-16)
Though Paul viewed himself as the greatest sinner, God had mercy on him. God had plans for him. When Ananias hesitated to lay hands on Paul to restore his sight after Paul’s encounter on the road to Damascus, the Lord assured him: “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” (Acts 9:15-16) Encountering the Lord was the defining conversion of Paul’s life, giving him a completely new horizon and purpose. He declared that because of Christ, he came to regard all his previous worldly advantages as loss compared to the supreme value of knowing Jesus Christ his Lord.
Paul no longer relied on human credentials or the flesh, but entirely on the grace and mercy of God. Humanly speaking, if anyone had reason for religious pride, it was Paul. He was “born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrew parents”. Circumcised when he was eight days old, he meticulously kept the Law as a Pharisee–so zealous was he for the Law and the religion that he persecuted the early Church, viewing it as a threat to his faith. “As far as the Law can make you perfect, I was faultless.” Yet, after encountering the mercy and love of our Lord, all these credentials became a liability. When he realised that salvation comes not through our own good works or legal observance, but through God’s mercy and forgiveness made possible by Christ’s death on the cross, he was radically transformed.
Instead of living for himself, Paul now lived entirely for Christ: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.” (Gal 2:19-21) Like the Psalmist, we can join St. Paul in proclaiming: “Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. O sing to the Lord, sing his praise; tell all his wonderful works! Be proud of his holy name, let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice. Consider the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.” Let us reach out to sinners and bring them home to our Lord so that we may share in His joy.
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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