Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
November 4, 2021
Readings for the Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop
Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, Bishop
Lectionary: 488
Reading I
Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.
So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.
Responsorial Psalm
- ( 13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
Alleluia
- Alleluia, alleluia.
Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest, says the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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: GOD PREFERS THE LEAST AND THE LOST
The logic of the Gospel is rather unique in every way. God's 'preferential option for the least and the lost', here symbolized as 'the sinner', who is despised by the society, will be difficult for ordinary people to understand. This however shows the priority given in the Kingdom of God. "Looking for a lost sheep leaving the ninety-nine in the open country' and 'searching for the lost coin with all one's strength' cannot be valued in today's culture where the logic of the strong and the majority rules. Unless you become part of the majority, you will be sidelined. You have to go with the stream. The world cannot and will not wait for you. I am sure we remember very vividly what happened during the initial days of COVID19 in some of the countries. When the countries had to make a choice between the elderly and the sick who were affected by the virus and the healthy ones affected by the same, the decision was to save the latter at the cost of the former. The elderly and the sick are not useful to the society anymore. This might have been a very astute decision of the countries based on their logic of usefulness, but it is far from the values and the priorities of the Kingdom. The logic of the preferential option for the least and the lost springs from the basic conviction of the Kingdom of God where all of us are equal and unique. No one should be lost. That was the desire of the Father which Jesus wanted to carry out. That was his mission. The preference for the least and the lost would like to present a world view where all will be saved and not anyone will be left behind.