Joyous Feast to all who hold as Patron or who bear the name Matthew!
In today's Gospel reading (Luke 15:1-10), the Lord is being chastised yet once again by His critics, the Pharisees, who are accusing Him of "eating with sinners."
Goodness! I do that every day, and most often I eat alone....
But our Lord does not yet hold these ruthless men in contempt. Rather, Jesus is still attempting to teach. It's a wonderful thing to observe. We sing in the Divine Liturgy from Psalm 103 "the Lord is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering, and of great goodness." When we think of His long-suffering, do we often consider how long it has been that He has allowed us the time to struggle with our sins, to attempt to bring them into submission by way of the things He has already taught us? How many times does He allow us, in His compassion for us, to turn from our sin and return to Him?
This is the essence of the parables the Lord offers in this reading. The lost sheep being carried by the Good Shepherd is a central image in the Christian faith. In Vespers, we sing, "The prophet David was a father of the Lord through you, O Virgin. He foretold in songs the One Who works wonders in you. 'At Your right hand stood the Queen, Your mother, the Mediatrix of Life, since God was freely born of her without a father.' He wanted to renew His fallen image made corrupt from passions, so He took the lost sheep upon His shoulder, and brought it to His Father, joining to the heavenly powers, Christ, Who has great and rich mercy has saved the world, O Theotokos!" (Theotokion, Tone 4)
The "one lost" sheep is us - humanity, and Jesus leaves the 99 (the heavenly powers) to reclaim, to save, to show His divine love for us! Saint Gregory teaches that the 100 is a "perfect number", ten groups of ten. Saint Luke records in this gospel that when the Shepherd has found this one lost sheep, "He lays it on His shoulders, rejoicing!" The Lord's teaching continues, showing us the true essence of His message. "There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance." For there is only One in heaven Who needs no repentance, and it is He who leads the rejoicing!
Heaven rejoices when we "finally get it"! Within the Advent Fast, may we be led in that direction. I am certainly lost, but I trust that the Shepherd is looking for me, and I know from His own words that if I can find my way to repent, to turn around from the direction that has separated me from Him and His love, He will find me and will rejoice!
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