Homily for Thursday, Week 31 of Ordinary Time

Homily for Thursday
Week 31 of Ordinary Time

Nov. 5, 2026
Luke 15: 1-10
Christian Brothers, St. Joseph’s Residence, N.R.

The Good Shepherd
(Philippe de Champaigne)

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15: 2).

It’s been said that if Jesus doesn’t eat with sinners, he must eat alone.  Let’s concede that his Mother could join him.

To respond to the complaint of the Pharisees and scribes, Jesus tells 3 parables.  We just heard 2.  All of us probably could narrate the 3d one from memory, the parable of the lost son and his rejoicing father (15:11-32).

All 3 parables highlight heaven’s joy when someone who’s been lost is found and restored, symbolized by a sheep, a drachma, and a son.

The parables, let’s remember, are addressed to those who look down on “sinners” and fault Jesus for caring about them.  Perhaps we sometimes despise “sinners” too—the world has an ample cast of evil characters.  If we care about them like Jesus, altho we can’t dine with them, we can pray for them.

The other side of the parables is us.  We are the lost sheep, the lost drachma, the lost son, sinners.  We are the ones who rejoice God’s heart when we repent (15:7,10); and repentance is our constant, never-ending work, trying daily to let Christ find us and keep us safe.