Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 6, 2022
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.”
Several years ago, my family went to Disneyland. It was a dream trip, even though I vividly remember a few short moments when it became a nightmare. One of my children had disappeared! As we corralled our four little lambs trekking from Space Mountain to Splash Mountain, I somehow lost sight of our son.
While my wife stayed behind with our remaining three, I ventured off to find him. My only concern was to locate him to ensure he was out of harm’s way. I was singularly focused on recovery—to protect and save our child.
In a similar, albeit deeper and more profound way, our Divine Parent cares for us too. And from today’s gospel, we realize that just like a parent, the Lord’s love for each one of us sometimes seems irrational.
In purely logical terms, a wise shepherd wouldn’t abandon their ninety-nine other sheep just to go after the one that went missing. Yet that is exactly what the Good Shepherd does over and over for each one of us.
Still, there are times in our lives when we doubt that the Almighty has this level of compassion and devotion for us. We know our faults, live our failures, and occasionally fall into the trap of falsely believing that we are not worthy of being pursued. We view today’s parable with our limited vision rather than through a spiritual lens.
Whether we inadvertently wander off because we succumb to temptation or purposely walk away because we turn our back on our faith, our Creator continually and consistently seeks us out. God never tires of coming after us. God never stops searching. God never wills any of the little ones to be lost.
No matter where we might go astray, even in a place known as the “magic kingdom,” may we rejoice in the truth that God will always chase after us with an open invitation to the heavenly kingdom.
Prayer
Good and gracious God, like the shepherd who sought out the lost sheep, you sought us out when we were lost to sin and doubt. For this we thank and glorify you. As we continue along the journey of life, we pray for the strength to follow you unreservedly, and if we do stray from the path, for the wisdom to recognize your voice when you come to carry us home. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord, Amen.
Saint of the Day
Nicholas is one of the most-loved and venerated saints in our tradition and is reportedly one of the most commonly painted saints. He was bishop of Myra, a city in what is now Turkey during the Church's turbulent fourth century. Legends of his life have filled in the large gaps in historical knowledge about his life.
One of the most famous stories celebrates Nicholas' generous gift-giving. Nicholas' parents died when he was young and left him with a large inheritance. Nicholas resolved to use the money for charitable works and learned of a man who had fallen into poverty. This man had three daughters, but because he could not support them nor provide a dowry for their marriage, he was going to sell them into slavery.
Nicholas learned of this family’s situation and, under the cover of darkness, tossed a bag of gold through the family’s window. The oldest daughter was soon married. The saint returned and performed the same act of kindness for the second daughter. When he approached to help the youngest daughter, the man was waiting for him and when he recognized Nicholas, he was overwhelmed with gratitude, prostrating himself before the bishop in thanks.
After being chosen as bishop of Myra, Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured during the persecutions of Christians in the early fourth century. When the Christian emperor Constantine released Christians from prison, Nicholas returned to Myra, where he confronted pagans and those who distorted the faith among the people in his region.
According to tradition, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicea in 325, which established Christ as truly one in being with the Father, not a subordinate deity. Legend has it that Nicholas became so infuriated with Arius, who opposed the idea that Christ was fully equal to the Father—"there was a time when the Son was not," as his rallying cry went—that Nicholas slapped him across the face.
Because, for a long while, Nicholas was the only major saint located with his particular region of Turkey, there was fierce competition for his relics among the towns near Myra, and his remains were transported from town to town. The reliquary chapel in the Basilica, which, indeed, holds some relics of St. Nicholas, contains a stained glass image of his relics being transferred to Italy, where they putatively rest today. A recent discovery, however, shows that his body has returned to Turkey. Today's featured image shows St. Nicholas as bishop and comes from the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art on campus.
St. Nicholas is the patron saint of Russia and Greece and is also the patron saint of children and newlyweds. Catholics in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands developed the custom of giving presents in his name on today, his feast day. Catholics still put out their shoes for sacks of gold coins, candies, or small gifts. Eventually, this practice of giving gifts on St. Nicholas Day grew into our contemporary American custom of giving gifts on Christmas Day.
St. Nicholas, whose generosity has inspired Christians for ages—pray for us!
To learn even more about Saint Nicholas, watch this video lecture from the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.
Image Credit: Italian, Portrait of a Figure Wearing a Mitre; Saint Nicholas, 18th century, pencil on laid paper. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, Gift of Luigi Gregori, AA1972.031.169.