My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

When we hear the parable of the lost sheep, many of us may wonder whether a shepherd would really leave ninety-nine sheep to search for one. At first, it sounds irresponsible. It sounds like bad math. But Jesus is not giving us a lesson in livestock management. He is revealing the heart of God.

The point is not that the shepherd stops caring for the ninety-nine. The point is that the shepherd refuses to accept the loss of the one. That is the scandal of mercy. God notices who is missing. God notices the one who has wandered, the one who is ashamed, the one whose life has become tangled in brambles, the one who no longer knows how to come home.

And then God goes searching.

This is good news for anyone who feels lost, forgotten, abandoned, or too far gone. The Good Shepherd does not wait until we have everything figured out before he comes after us. He restores. He supports. He strengthens. He carries home what cannot get home by itself.

If you feel lost, the Gospel’s message is simple: you are not invisible to God. You have not been forgotten. The Shepherd is still searching, still calling, still carrying, and still rejoicing when the lost are found.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

My Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,

The older I get, the more I understand the temptation to stay home. After work, chores, responsibilities, and the ordinary demands of life, sometimes another invitation feels like too much. That is why this Sunday’s Gospel speaks so clearly. Jesus tells of a great banquet where the invited guests begin making excuses. Their reasons do not sound wicked. They sound ordinary: property, work, family, and responsibility. Yet this is the uncomfortable warning of the parable. We do not always reject God through open rebellion. Sometimes we simply become too busy, too tired, too distracted, or too comfortable to respond when grace invites us deeper.

The good news is that the banquet is not canceled. The master sends his servant into the streets, lanes, roads, and hedges to bring in the poor, the wounded, the forgotten, and those others may not have thought worthy of a place at the table. This is the generous mercy of God. Every Eucharist is a foretaste of that heavenly banquet. Christ prepares the table and invites the tired, the sinful, the lonely, the hungry, and the distracted to come.
​
This week, may we hear again the words of the Gospel: “Come; for all is now ready.” The question is not whether Christ is inviting us. He is. The question is whether we will enter, or whether we will keep making excuses. May we have the grace to accept the invitation, take our place at the table, and allow the mercy of God to reshape our lives.
Peace,
Rev. Ben

Brothers and Sisters in Jesus Christ,

As part of the mission of Saint Oscar Romero Ministries, please know that we are here to pray for your intentions and to walk with you in faith. If you carry a burden, grief, fear, hope, or need, you are not alone. We would be honored to pray with you and for you.
As we enter Trinity Time, sometimes called Ordinary Time, we are reminded that the Holy Trinity is not an abstract idea. God is communion, relationship, and self-giving love. If God is love, then those who worship God must learn to love.
But love is difficult.

It is easy to say, “I love you.” It is easy to admire compassion from a distance. But Christian love is not merely a feeling or a matter of words. Love is revealed in action, faithfulness, and our willingness to be present when another person’s need becomes inconvenient.

In the Gospel story of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man is not described as violent. He simply ignores Lazarus at his gate: poor, wounded, hungry, and visible. That is the warning. We cannot claim to love the invisible God while treating visible human beings as disposable.

Saint Oscar Romero saw the suffering of the poor, the voiceless, and the forgotten. He spoke for those whose cries were ignored. Yet his love did not become hatred, resentment, or violence. His love remained rooted in Christ.

May we hear the Gospel’s challenge and refuse to sell love out for cheap substitutes: feelings, slogans, comfort, preference, or mere words. May God’s love become in us mercy, courage, prayer, faithfulness, and action.
​
Brothers and sisters, let us love because God first loved us.
Peace,
Rev. Ben