Joy

So he spoke this parable to them: ‘A man had two sons...."
Lk.15:3,11

Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and the scribes who are complaining that he is seeking the company of sinners. He tells them three parables, of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. The three parables each highlight a virtue that the scribes and Pharisees lack... Joy!

The joy of recovering the lost sheep made the abandoning the ninety-nine worth the risk. The joy of recovering the lost coin made the expense of spending many times its value to celebrate, worth it. The joy of the dead, lost son coming back home made sense of the father's blind extravagance in celebrating his return.

If I don't have joy in my life something is seriously missing in my Christian walk. Joy can't be forced, it is always spontaneous. It comes from a heart that is focused on others and their well-being. Today may I be a person focused on others and a person of joy.

Jesus, you role model what it is to be truly joyful as you came to seek the lost, you came to seek me. Help me be a person of joy today.
Little Flower please pray for me.