People in love have the capacity of doing the craziest things. If you observe a person in love, you would notice the amount of time and effort the person would spend towards the one the person loves. For example, a mother would go through great extent to ensure that her child is well cared for and well provided, regardless whether the child is grateful to the mother or not. A father would not hesitate to rescue his child who fell into a pool, even though he does not know how to swim and may be at risk of drowning. A teacher spends lots of time helping a child to gain a better grasp of his lessons, as the child is a slow learner, and the teacher loves the child and wants him to do well in life, without caring about what others think. Love can certainly make people do crazy things.
In today’s Gospel, we see examples of how love can make people do crazy things. In the Gospel, we are told that a shepherd leaves ninety nine sheep to go after the one that is lost. We are also told that a woman goes in search for the lost tenth drachma by “light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it.” A person attuned to the ways of the world or a business person may be thinking: “Are you crazy? Have you gone nuts? Why risk losing the other sheep just to look out for one? Why go through all the trouble looking to that one drachma when you already have the other nine?” But the fact is, God’s ways are different from our ways. God loves without limit, and He is prepared to go all out and endure suffering, seek and find that one which is lost.
Some of us may think that the best thing to do would be to let these sort of people carry on with whatever they’re doing, and we too carry on with our own lives. We wash our hands off such people, because we don’t feel it worthwhile or necessary to bring them or rescue them. But this is where God shows us the true meaning of love. God never gives up even when we choose to give up; He never stops working or trying even though we have long ceased all efforts; He never stops loving even when we may feel as if it is impossible to love anymore. Such is our God: the most compassionate, the most loving, and the most merciful. Seeing that we have such a God, what does this tell us? This tells us that each of us is very important; has a special dignity; is unique; is priceless and worth saving. The problem is, we sometimes fail to recognise our own dignity, and we forget who we are. Because of this, we easily get angry with others when we are made to feel small; or become jealous and selfish because we feel that we are not good enough. But the point is, God is telling you: “You are beautiful! You are precious! Why let others put you down? God loves you so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for you and to save you from your sins!” Are we doubting God?
Today, let us hold our heads up high, knowing with trust and confidence that God is there to help us and guide us. Each and every one of us is more precious and valuable than anything else, so we should not feel down or give up. Let us always remember that God will never abandon us; that He loves us unconditionally, and that we too should learn to love the way He loves us.