The Lord Jesus, in the parable of the Lost Sheep, gives us a glimpse into the heart of God. Who among you, if you have 100 sheep, and if you lost one, you would leave the 99 in the wilderness and search for the Lost Sheep. Most of us would not do so, from a practical standpoint. We would cut our losses, because we still have 99. But the Lord would never abandon ship, I'm sorry, abandon sheep. We may identify ourselves more with the 99, but if we can see ourselves as the Lost Sheep, it would help to appreciate his loving heart. I remember a Cardinal Van Thuan, who once shared that God is not really good at math. How could 99 equal 1? How could 1 equal 99? The Parable of the Lost Sheep gives us a glimpse into the heart of God.

Recently, I read an article on the Northwest Catholic Magazine, the Archdiocesan Magazine. A couple shared about their experience with Retrouvaille, which was a program to help married couples fall in love again, and to be re-engaged. They shared that their marriage was falling apart after 10 years. The husband shared that he felt like a failure when he moved out of their home, and they were on the verge of getting a divorce.

But they shared that through the Retrouvaille Program, they learned that they were not alone. Sharing their story, and listening to other couples' stories have helped them grow. They learned to listen, to understand one another. The couple shared that as they started having children, they began to focus primarily on raising their children. The children became their focus (of course, that is not a bad thing). But through the program, they shifted their focus. God came first, and second is their spouses, and thirdly the children. They prioritize their lives, and they had a different perspective. When they grew closer to God, and closer to one another, caring for one another, the children turned out just fine.