Thursday, November 05, 2020 - 31st week of Ordinary Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 15, 1-10 - Come to me, all you who labor under the burden, says the Lord, and I will give you rest.

In today's Gospel, Jesus gives two parables about God's gaze on sinners who turn to the straight path. Indeed, the joy of God is manifested when a person repents.

We are all sinners and it is in this weakness that we must humbly ask for the grace of God to return to Him. As sinners, we should never judge or condemn others. We are not to consider ourselves "righteous" like the Pharisees and scribes who dared to call other "sinners". We must act differently when we see others falling into sin. In other words, we need to express our love for him through prayer and help him walk the path of repentance. When we realize that we are sinners, Jesus Christ comes to heal our soul and brings us back, like the lost sheep, to the pen, or like the lost piece of silver that he puts back in his box with the others. Not admitting that one is a sinner expresses the arrogance that thinks that it does not need the mercy of God.

We must accept our state of sinfulness when we recite the Lord's Prayer: "... Forgive us our trespasses". Thus, the sacrament of reconciliation brings us back to the enclosure with the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. One lesson Jesus gives us is to love sinners. In other words, all of us, as sinners, must help each other to turn away from sin and love each other as Christ has loved us. So let us always remember that it is a joy for God when we turn to Him.