Gospel: November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026 (Thursday)
31st Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 3 (Green)
Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.
1st Reading: Philippians 3:3-8a
Gospel: Luke 15:1-10
Meanwhile tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what he had to say. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law frowned at this, muttering, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus told them this parable: “Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and seek the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together, and say, ‘Celebrate with me, for I have found my lost sheep!’ I tell you, in the same way, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner, than over ninety-nine decent people, who do not need to repent.
What woman, if she has 10 silver coins and loses one, will not light a lamp, and sweep the house in a thorough search, till she finds the lost coin? And finding it, she will call her friends and neighbors, and say, ‘Celebrate with me, for I have found the silver coin I lost!’ I tell you, in the same way, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.”
Reflection:
A God who sees beyond our state of being lost.
The Gospel today presents two beautiful images of God’s love and mercy. Portrayed as the good shepherd who seeks the lost sheep and the woman who finds her lost coin, Jesus reveals a God who sees beyond our state of being lost, sinful, rebellious, and hard-headed. God must have seen something in us worth seeking and finding beyond what we have done or what we have failed to do. God must have seen in us a being worthy of unconditional love. The person of Paul serves as an example. Paul, who was sought and loved by God, not because of his merits or what he had done in the past, experienced being loved and found by God. Are we not in the same boat as Paul, who, in one way or another, has been lost yet found by God with His loving and merciful heart?
