＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊

Philippians 3:3-8a

We are the true circumcised people

Since we serve according to the Spirit of God, and our confidence is in Christ Jesus rather than in our merits. I myself do not lack those human qualities in which people have confidence. If some of them seem to be accredited with such qualities, how much more am I!

 I was circumcised when eight days old. I was born of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; I am a Hebrew, born of Hebrews. With regard to the Law, I am a Pharisee, and such was my zeal for the Law that I persecuted the Church. As for being righteous according to the Law, I was blameless.

 But once I found Christ, all those things that I might have considered as profit, I reckoned as loss. Still more, everything seems to me as nothing compared with the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord. For his sake I have let everything fall away and I now consider all as garbage, if instead I may gain Christ.

 

Ps 105:2-3, 4-5, 6-7

Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord.

 

＊＊＊＊ 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 scribes 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 out 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, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent.

 What woman, if she has ten 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.”

 

Gospel Reflection：

Jesus gives us three parables. The first two constitute our Gospel lesson for today. The third is the parable of the prodigal son and his elder brother. They all make the same point about joy over the repentant sinner.

There is a progression in these parables. The shepherd loses one of a hundred sheep (a 1% loss). The woman loses one of ten coins (a10% loss). The father loses one of two sons (a 50% loss).

The first two parables reinforce their punch by parallel structure:

• ”Which of you men”

(tis anthropos)(v.4) is paralleled by “what woman”(tis gune)(v.8).

• Both stories are about loss (vv. 4,8).
• “go after…. Until he found it”(v.4) is paralleled by “sweep….until she found it”(v.8)
• Both stories are about rejoicing (vv. 5,9).
• The joy in both stories is occasioned by repentance on the part of sinners(vv. 7,10).

Luke generally portrays tax collector and sinners in a favorable light – willing to listen – open to repentance and discipleship (cf. 3:10-14; 5:27-32; 7:34-50; 18:13).

Tax collectors and sinners come to listen to Jesus. They know that they are in the wrong and are drawn to Jesus because they sense that he can make things right.