Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 15, 2019
All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So he told them this parable: “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’
“Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.
“Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’
“Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
The parable Jesus presents in today’s Gospel reminds me of my job as a high school teacher. If most of the class misses the same question on a quiz, I know that the fault lies with me. I must not have taught it well enough or perhaps moved too quickly through the material. But when only a single student misses a question, I often become frustrated, ready to assign blame on the student. I am struck with how differently the shepherd reacts to the single sheep who went missing. There is no frustration, no scolding, no “what were you thinking?” The shepherd simply picks up the lost sheep and rejoices.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, Patroness of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Blessed Basil Moreau, founder of the Congregation, chose her so that her grief at the death of her son may perpetually orient us to the cross, our only hope. Just as the shepherd does not treat the lost sheep with even a hint of disdain or frustration, so too must we overcome the disdain and frustration we feel when we recognize the crosses in our lives. If we are to share in Christ’s resurrection, we must embrace our cross as the shepherd embraces his lost sheep: by putting it on our shoulders and rejoicing. As the Constitutions of the Congregation assert, “It remains only for us to find how even the cross can be borne as a gift.”
Prayer
Lord Jesus, like the angels in heaven, may our hearts rejoice over the sinner who repents, over the doubting who find faith, over the despairing who find hope, over the lonely who find love. With you, may we zealously seek out the lost of our world, so that, like us, they may find their true home in you. Amen.
Saint of the Day
“There stood by the Cross of Jesus his mother Mary, who knew grief and was a Lady of Sorrows. She is our special patroness, a woman who bore much she could not understand and who stood fast. To her many sons and daughters, whose devotions ought to bring them often to her side, she tells much of this daily cross and its daily hope” (Constitutions of the Congregation of Holy Cross, 8:120).
When deciding on a patron for the Congregation of Holy Cross, founder Blessed Basil Moreau selected Our Lady of Sorrows.
Moreau’s original vision was that the Congregation of Holy Cross, which founded the University, be one community of priests, brothers and sisters living and working together in imitation of the Holy Family. He consecrated the priests to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the sisters to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the brothers to Saint Joseph. He placed the entire Congregation under the patronage of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Moreau often stressed the importance of conforming one’s entire life to Christ, which Mary models through her seven sorrows:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2: 34-35): Simeon told Mary that her son would be the rise and fall of many people and that a sword would pierce her heart so that many would know her thoughts.
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13): Joseph responds to a dream to take Mary and Jesus into Egypt to keep them safe. Today, we pray for the safety and security of all refugees.
3. The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:43-45): Mary and Joseph thought Jesus was in the caravan after leaving Jerusalem. After three days, they found Jesus listening and teaching in the Temple of Jerusalem. Mary said to Jesus, “Why have you done this to us?”
4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary (Luke 23: 26-32): Jesus, carrying his cross told the women of Jerusalem not to weep for him, but for themselves and their children.
5. Jesus dies on the cross (John 19:25): Mary and John are bonded by the words of Jesus. The Church is born in this moment from suffering and relationship.
6. Mary receives the body of Jesus in her arms (Matthew 27:57-59): Mary receives her inconsolable suffering, the body of her son.
7. The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb (John 19:40-42): Mary and Jesus’ disciples stand together in their loss.
The Holy Cross motto, Ave crux, spes unica—“Hail the cross, our only hope”—invites us to stand at the foot of the cross alongside our sorrowful mother.
Mary is the perfect model of this hope. Even in the midst of her seven sorrows, she never despaired. Her faith endured through this suffering and so she shared in her Son’s victory over death. We believe that her intercession and patronage can help us do the same.
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is the biggest feast day for Congregation of Holy Cross priests, brothers, and sisters throughout the world. Each community honors the feast day differently, but members usually come together as a larger community for prayer and celebration.
Our Lady of Sorrows is depicted on campus in a number of ways, including this sculpture in the Cedar Grove cemetery on campus, and in this sculpture from the chapel in Howard Hall, which commemorates those who were killed in World War II.
Our Lady of Sorrows, you stood with hope by Jesus on the cross and are patroness of Holy Cross religious, pray for us!
To learn more, watch this video of Father Nate Wills, C.S.C., describing Our Lady of Sorrows to pilgrims who walked the Notre Dame Trail in celebration of Notre Dame's 175th anniversary.