August 14, 2018 Tuesday of the 19th Week in Ordinary Time-B ST MAXIMILIAN KOLBE, PRIEST, MARTYR
Ezekiel 2:8-3:4
Psalm 148
Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14
“will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” Mt. 18:12
Lord, at first it seems crazy for a shepherd to risk the whole flock to predators and thieves to go and search for one lost sheep. Our sense of profit and loss does not allow us to follow this strategy when a small minority is lost. But that’s because we are not like you. You are so “crazy” in love with all of us that you go to extraordinary lengths to ensure none of your children are separated or in danger. Many people are lost or in danger of becoming lost. Some in my own family are in this group. Help me to value the least among us as you do. Help me to see what you see when you look upon the sinner, the lonely, the depressed and the angry. Lord, it is so easy for me to “write-off” the disagreeable, the hard to get along with and those who have hurt me. Don’t let me have an attitude of “good riddance” because you’d never do that. Lord, guide me to value people because they are your children and my brothers and sisters. I pray for all lost sheep. St. Maximilian Kolbe, pray for us. Amen.