By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON Jr.
Jesus proposed another parable to teach the people about the unconditional love God has for us. This parable is of the Good Shepherd, and it is referred to in both of the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Jesus told them this parable:
“Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Matt. 18:10-14; Luke 15:1-7).
This parable is commonly known by many of us, but its commonality must never diminish its great importance. Even though we hear it often, it teaches us a great lesson about how much God loves us. Within this parable, Jesus once again uses the ordinary situations of the daily lives of the people of His time to express a lesson. In this parable Jesus uses the image of the shepherd tending the sheep, as a way to express the relationship that exists between us and God. And still today, this parable has as much need in today’s world as it did over 2,000 years ago.
The Parable of the Lost Sheep is the story of a shepherd who has one hundred sheep and one of them wanders off and gets lost. The shepherd searches for the lost sheep until he finds it and celebrates its return. The storyline here is what happens in our relationship with the Lord.
God shepherds us, His flock, His sheep, in the same way that Jesus spoke of in the parable. God loves each and every one of us unconditionally, but there exists a soft spot in His heart for those who are lost, fallen away, or estranged from Him. For this reason, God yearns for those who have wandered away from the sheepfold.
When one of the sheep wanders away from his shepherd, it represents a person who wanders from Jesus by choosing to lead a sinful (or evil) life according to worldly pleasures and desires. Jesus doesn’t stop that person from wandering because God loves us so much that He gave us free will to make our own choices in life. But He never gives up on the person who walks away from Him, no matter how many others He has by His side. He still loves and misses and wants the lost one to return. Having that one person return back home to Jesus is cause for great celebration.
Agape Love
Because most of us aren’t shepherds, we can understand this parable more clearly if we relate it to something more personal. If you’re a parent of multiple children and one was lost, wouldn’t you search for that child even though you have other children whom you love equally?
If you’re not a parent but have siblings or parents whom you love, wouldn’t you search for a lost one even though you love the other ones, too? Think of any people you love — wouldn’t you search for a lost one, even though you love the others?
In reading and discussing this parable, we hear of the great love God has for us. There are many different types of love, but in the English language, we don’t differentiate between them. For example, we love our spouse, but in a different way than we love our children, or pasta! We love our friends, but it’s a different love than our love for gardening or scuba diving.
Agape love defines God’s love. Agape love differentiates God’s love from any other kind of love. Agape love is a kind of love we as human beings are incapable of attaining. It’s unconditional, unwarranted, all-encompassing, and everlasting. For us, we can strive to attain this unconditional love, but oftentimes there will always be strings attached, or qualifiers, that diminish this kind of love. God’s agape love for each of us began long before we were conceived in our mother’s womb and will last until eternity.
In order to understand the “agape love” that God has for us, it is important for us to consider three things. First, God loves us more than we can ever imagine. How do we know this? Well, Jesus speaks about this many times during His public ministry. In fact, he says it in Matthew’s Gospel: “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). We are so important to God that if we choose to leave Him and live our lives on our own, He will follow us throughout all our lives, waiting for our return. God stays by our side always, and there is nothing that will prevent Him from loving us.
That is the splendor of agape love: God is always there, but an arm’s length away, waiting for us to reach out to Him always.
The second thing we must reflect on when understanding agape love is God’s invitation to enter the heavenly Kingdom. This invitation is available for all who conform their lives and follow the law of the Lord. The moment you choose to turn to Him, He will open His arms and celebrate your return. Jesus speaks of this when He says: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in Heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (Luke 15:7). Unlike earthly relationships where forgiveness is sometimes difficult, the relationship we have with God rests on agape love and God’s desire for our well-being.
Third, God’s love for us and the forgiveness He offers, will never disappear. Why? Because God could never give up on us! No matter how long you stray or what you’ve done, God has mercy on those who ask for forgiveness. His mercy endures forever. You are His child.
All you have to do is come home to Him. As Jesus hung on the cross, He demonstrated that He never gives up on us. As He was dying, there hanging next to Him were two thieves. The first ridiculed and mocked Jesus, while the other asked for forgiveness by recognizing the “agape” love Jesus had for him. In the end, Jesus hears the thief’s plea, and Jesus put His own agony aside and assures the thief that he would be with Him in paradise. In a similar and very personal way, we experience this same level of compassionate love in the Sacrament of Penance.
Each time we approach the Sacrament of God’s enduring mercy, we experience what the thief experienced at Calvary, the opportunity to be with Him in paradise. All we must do is seek out those consoling words we hear in Confession: “Your sins are forgiven.”
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leads us, the flock, into the pastures of eternal life. The Shepherd shows us the way, and calls us to follow, but the choice is ours. He will never force us. He does, however, wait patiently for our return to the sheepfold and when we do, there is much rejoicing!
Peace Of Mind And Heart
And so, I close by offering the following prayer to Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd:
“Gentle Jesus, compassionate and caring Good Shepherd, help me to follow You faithfully. Strengthen me daily with Your love, and guide me along life’s paths. Keep me free from every evil, protect me from sickness and danger, and lead me to serve you with all my mind and heart and soul. Hear my needs and grant my petitions, especially these intentions important to me at this time: [Mention your petitions here]. Bless me each day with peace of mind and heart. May I experience your saving power in my daily life, as I await the fullness of life and joy with you forever and ever. Amen. (Prayer taken from the Catholic Crusaders.)
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