Reading 1 Ez 34:11-16
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I will lead them out from among the peoples
and gather them from the foreign lands;
I will bring them back to their own country
and pasture them upon the mountains of Israel
in the land's ravines and all its inhabited places.
In good pastures will I pasture them,
and on the mountain heights of Israel
shall be their grazing ground.
There they shall lie down on good grazing ground,
and in rich pastures shall they be pastured
on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2 Rom 5:5b-11
Brothers and sisters:The love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.
Alleluia Mt 11:29ab
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Take my yoke upon you, says the Lord,
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Or: Jn 10:14
R. Alleluia, alleluia.I am the good shepherd, says the Lord,
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Lk 15:3-7
"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?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
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.'
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."
LOVED ONE
"Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wasteland and follow the lost one until he finds it?" –Luke 15:4
One of the most beautiful – and disappointing – verses of the Bible is: "God is Love" (1 Jn 4:16). We all want to be loved, but we don't necessarily value being loved by Someone Who by His nature loves everyone. We want to be loved exclusively, individually, and specially. If someone told you "I love you," you would probably be impressed. If that same person repeated this to everyone, you may not be so impressed.
However, God loves everyone – not generically, but individually and specially. This is impossible for us to do or even conceive. Yet "nothing is impossible with God" (Lk 1:37). God created us as unique individuals. He knows everything about us. He remembers every word, thought, and action we have ever said, had, or done. He has numbered the hairs of our head (Mt 10:30) and even counted every tear we've ever shed (Ps 56:9). God's individualized knowledge of each of us indicates His individualized love for each of us.
The Lord would leave ninety-nine sheep in the desert to focus His attention on you (Lk 15:4). If you were the only person in the world, Jesus would have died just for you. The Heart of Jesus doesn't love you because He loves everyone; rather, He loves everyone, because He loves each of you individually and specially.
| PRAYER: | Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me! |
| PROMISE: | "The love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit Who has been given to us." –Rm 5:5 |
| PRAISE: | Praise the burning, bleeding, merciful heart of Jesus! Alleluia! |
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