THURSDAY OF THE THIRTY-FIRST WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, NOVEMBER 5, 2026
Gospel
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus addressed this parable to them. “What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.
“Or what woman having ten coins and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
REFLECTION
"complain"
“There will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
There they go again...the always discontented, fault-finding Pharisees complain that Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them. Imagine facing them in the temple, and their body language ripping you apart with disapproval. How easy it is to look down on someone when you are in charge or carry a higher title. Always questioning Jesus, the Pharisees do not believe in the compassion and goodness of God.
In today's Gospel, Jesus reveals the merciful heart of our Heavenly Father. Like the shepherd searching for his lost sheep and the woman searching for her lost coin, God never gives up on a soul that has wandered away.
St. John Vianney, the Curé of Ars, and our PAPA patron, lived this Gospel beautifully. He understood the infinite value of every soul and dedicated his priesthood to bringing sinners back to God.
He spent long hours in the confessional, sometimes as many as sixteen hours a day, patiently listening, forgiving, and reconciling sinners with God. He saw the confessional not as a place of judgment, but as a place where God's mercy welcomed His lost children home.
St. John Vianney once said, “The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.”
What a beautiful reminder that every priest is called to reflect the love of the Good Shepherd, seeking the lost, healing the wounded, and rejoicing over every soul that returns to God.
So why do we murmur or complain about priests ?
I have to ask myself: Do I share the joy of heaven when someone returns to God? Or am I sometimes like the Pharisees, more ready to judge than to welcome, ready to murmur, grumble and complain?
Please pray for our priests to be just like St John Vianney, HERE.
Source
Blessed and Poor, the Spiritual Odyssey of the Curé of Ars, by Daniel Pezeril
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