In the Old Testament, shepherds would count their sheep upon returning from the fields, determined to find any that had strayed. They would even venture into the desert at night to find lost sheep.

This parable is a story of loss and discovery that foregrounds the shepherd's love. He realizes that a sheep is missing, searches for it, finds it, and carries it on his shoulders because it is weak and scared, perhaps injured, and unable to follow the shepherd on its own. It is he who leads it to safety and, finally, filled with joy, invites his neighbors to celebrate with him.

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.».

The recurring themes of this story can be summarized in three verbs: to get lost, to find, and to celebrate.

Be lostThe good news is that the Lord goes to seek those who stray. We often get lost in the deserts nearby, or in those where we are forced to live, or in those where we take refuge; they are the deserts of abandonment, marginalization, poverty, misunderstanding, and lack of unity. The Shepherd seeks us there too, and even if we lose sight of him, he will always find us.

FindLet's try to imagine the scene of the shepherd's anxious search in the desert. It's an image that strikes with its expressive power. We can understand the joy of both the shepherd and the sheep. The encounter between the two restores the sheep's sense of security, having escaped danger. Therefore, the "finding" is an act of divine mercy.

CelebrateHe gathers his friends to celebrate, because he wants to share their joy, just as in the other two parables that follow this one, that of the lost coin and that of the merciful father (cf. Lc 15:8 and 15:11). Jesus wants us to understand the importance of sharing joy with everyone, and he immunizes us against the temptation to judge others. We are all "found" people.

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.».

This Word of life is an invitation to be grateful for the mercy God has shown us all personally. Rejoicing and rejoicing together presents us with an image of unity, where there is no opposition between the righteous and the sinners, but rather we share in one another's joy.

Chiara Lubich writes: "It is an invitation to understand God's heart, to believe in his love. Inclined as we are to calculate and measure, we sometimes believe that God's love for us could also grow weary [...] God's logic is not like ours. God always awaits us; indeed, we give him immense joy every time we return to him, even if it were an infinite number of times."^[1].

"Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.».

Sometimes we can be the shepherds, those who care for one another and go out with love to seek out those who have strayed from us, from our friendship, from our community; to seek out the marginalized, the lost, the little ones, those whom life's trials have pushed to the margins of our society.

One teacher tells us: “There were several students who came to class sporadically. During my free time, I used to go to the market next to the school, hoping to find them there because I had heard they worked there to earn some money. One day I finally saw them, and they were amazed that I had personally gone to look for them, and they were struck by how important they were to the entire school community. From then on, they started coming to class regularly, and it was truly a celebration for everyone.”

Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life team

[1] C. Lubich, Word of Life, September 1986: Words of Life/1 (1943-1990) (ed. F. Ciardi), Ciudad Nueva, Madrid 2020, pp. 387-388.