Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent
At our parish, we are blessed with generous people who go the extra mile to take care of a neighbor. Our giving tree is a great example. The supposed common wisdom of our culture seems to frown on this ideal. Instead, we have, “don’t ask for help,” or “do it on your own.” We are often afraid to ask for help because we might seem weak or embarrassed if we request assistance. The flip side of this consciousness is why we seem as a society to be resentful of those who ask for help. We shun the poor as lazy or somehow undeserving of our help.
When I need help there are times when I refuse to ask, sometimes I even isolate myself. It is within this context that I read today’s gospel. The shepherd in this story seems foolish. Why risk the ninety-nine to save the one? Perhaps the shepherd trusts that the ninety-nine are safe because they know what to do. Stick together! (A good rule for all of us.) In the parable, the shepherd reaches out to find the stray who is lost and in need of help. God is the shepherd who is reaching out for the lost souls and those in need of help.
By extension, we are God’s hands and heart. We are the ones empowered with empathy, love, and generosity. We are called to reach out and offer support to the wayward souls who may be struggling around us. People don’t always ask for help, but if we use our spiritual senses, we may recognize someone as being lost or in the midst of a great struggle. This might be the person who sits in the pew near you. It might even be someone who you used to see regularly and now you are aware of their absence.
Lord help us to be like the shepherd in today’s scripture, reaching out to those who need you most. And if that person who is struggling is ourselves, then please Lord reach out to us and draw us back. Then we can stick together, as one body of Christ.
Deacon Michael Montgomery