Lost and Found: How many times have you seen these signs? You find them in school, at work, in the airport and even in stores at the customer service desk. I’ve seen plenty of boxes, bins and other containers to hold lost items in, in my day, but I don’t remember too many people seeking these items. Sometimes when I pass by, I take a quick peek to see what’s inside. It’s amazing what you can find there: hats, gloves, umbrellas, watches, jewelry and other assorted items. I wonder sometimes why these items remain unclaimed by their owners. Maybe they didn’t realize that they lost them. Or if they did, perhaps they don’t even know where to look. Maybe they’re just too busy to go back and look, and it’s so much easier to stop in the store around the corner and pick up another item just like it.
In today’s Gospel we hear parables about things that were lost: the sheep, the coin and even a young man. Each possession was important to the person that lost it. The sheep was someone’s livelihood; the coin meant someone would be able to pay the rent or eat; and the young man was important to his family. There was great joy when the lost items were found, and there was time to celebrate the recovery.
The Prodigal Son is perhaps the best known parable. It shows us that the Father is willing to overlook everything and is overjoyed to have his son back. And all it took was the son’s willingness to seek what was lost and ask forgiveness.
Are we willing to go back to the lost and found box and seek what we lost along the way? Maybe we are separated from family or friends, or maybe there’s something we lost within ourselves. This might be a good time to seek those things and rejoice that we took the time to find what was lost. We will be happy that we did and God will be pleased at the same time.
Sister Rebecca Sullivan, CSFN
