Gospel MT 18:12-14
Jesus said to his disciples:
“What is your opinion?
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?
And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it
than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.
In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”
 
Reflection:
Jesus said to his disciples:
“What is your opinion? 
If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,
will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills
and go in search of the stray?”
Tommy was the oldest in a family with seven children.
As a 15 year old teenager, he did all the right things when he was in grammar school. He received great grades, played sports, was in the annual school play, and was an altar server at the church where the family worshiped.
When he entered high school, things began to change. Slowly his grades slipped to C’s and D’s. Tommy stopped playing sports and lost all interest in participating in school or church activities.
His parents began to smell alcohol on Tommy’s breath and on several occasions found remnants of marijuana in his room.
After repeated attempts to help Tommy, it was suggested by a counselor that he be admitted to a treatment facility for teenagers.
The night before Tommy was scheduled to enter the treatment facility, he disappeared.
Frantic, his parents searched everywhere for him.
Finally, convinced Tommy was not hiding at one of his friends’ homes, they notified the police. There was little the police could do except make Tommy’s picture available and promise to keep an eye out for him.
Months came and went, but the extensive efforts to locate Tommy were unsuccessful.
A few days before the one year anniversary of Tommy’s disappearance, his mother received a phone call. The caller told her that he lived several states away. He had found her son Tommy cold, wet and half starved and had taken the boy into his home.
Initially, Tommy would not identify himself. But soon Tommy told the man his story and said he wanted to go home but was afraid to call his parents because of all the pain he had caused them.
That afternoon, Tommy’s parents left their six other children in the care of a neighbor and went on a 700 mile journey to reclaim their lost son.
“In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father
that one of these little ones be lost.”
“But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him.”
– – Luke 15-20