As we begin each day’s reflection, invite the Lord to come be with you as you read and meditate on His Word. Take a moment and read the bible passage slowly, allowing the Lord to draw you to any word or phrase that speaks to you.

Matthew 18:12-14

Jesus said to his disciples: "What is your opinion? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray? And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not stray. In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost." 

No matter how old we are we can still remember how good it felt to be held by our mother or father or someone we knew loved us deeply. That sense of safety and comfort could bring you peace no matter how much sadness, pain, or worry you had felt just moments before. The strong arms of someone we love surrounding us, hearing their heartbeat close to our ear, and maybe the words of comfort that assure us that everything will be okay, brings peace. 

In today’s gospel reading, Jesus reminds us that no matter how far we stray, He will leave everything to come find us. He will never give up. He will search high and low, calling our name and inviting us to come home. He values you so much that He does not want you to be lost and He will not stop until you are found. How does that make you feel? Grateful, excited, maybe a bit scared? I mean, if we have strayed that far, we may not be all that ready to be found in our sin. But consider how much love He has for you, that it doesn’t even matter. He wants you to be with Him and that love is unconditional. 

Pause a moment and let your imagination take you to that place where you are hiding away, lost and lonely. At first you only hear His voice calling your name. You peek out looking to see who is calling you, wondering how they found you. And then you see Jesus, with His nail scarred hands stretched out asking you to take a hold and let Him pull you close. You're exhausted from the journey and tired from living the lies. He knows and picks you up in His arms and holds you close. Close enough that you can hear His Sacred Heart beating a steady rhythm. That begins to calm your racing heart. You begin to feel a peace that passes all understanding surround you. Can you feel His love? Spend some time with this image today and see if you can hear what God wants to say to you while He holds you close. It will be personal and just what you need to hear right now. 

Reflection Questions: Take the time to really reflect on how you feel after using the imaginative prayer above. Let yourself hear His words. Maybe take some time to journal your thoughts. See what kind of peace fills your heart.