In this morning’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a parable about a woman who lost a coin. The coin she lost was worth about a day’s wage for a laborer. Some claim that it would be worth about two days of work as a woman of that period. It’s only natural that she would go to look for it.
I read last night that when they excavated Saint Peter’s home, they found coins stuck between the stones on the ground. It is pretty easy to imagine how someone could lose a small metal coin between the big rocks used for the floor. Our house has smooth wooden floors, and yet we still lose things and can’t find them. If losing things weren’t a problem, most of us probably wouldn’t know the Saint Anthony Prayer.
But back to the parable. Saint Augustine said that the woman represented God, and the coin represents us, and we could look at all the other parts from the coins that remain, what the light represents, and so forth, but I want to concentrate on her response to finding that which was lost. She calls everyone she knows and says, “Rejoice with me!” That’s important because it reminds us that joy is an essential part of Christian living. Heaven rejoices at the finding of one who was lost. God celebrates every time someone repents and turns to Him.
What does that mean for us? What lesson can we take from this parable today? Our goal is to be more like Jesus, and we believe that when we receive the Eucharist, He transforms us, changing us to be more like Him. That means we, too, should be filled with joy. I think the Gospel challenges us today to ask ourselves if people can see the joy in our lives. Are we spreading that joy into the world, showing people how excited we are that Jesus has provided a way that all men can come to know Him? The more like Jesus we become, the more joy should be evident in our lives.
An excellent statement to meditate on today is this one from a Catholic writer: “Where joy is absent, the Kingdom is absent.” Read that again: “Where joy is absent, the Kingdom is absent.” Mother Theresa of Calcutta said it this way: “Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls.” So are we casting our net with joy? Are we making the Kingdom present to others? In this time of turmoil and political strife, it’s more important than ever to be joyful.
A homily for Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time: November 5th, 2020