Just sit right back
And you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip,
That started from this tropic port,
Aboard this tiny ship.
The mate was a mighty sailin' man,
The Skipper brave and sure,
Five passengers set sail that day,
For a three hour tour,
A three hour tour.
The weather started getting rough,
The tiny ship was tossed.
If not for the courage of the fearless crew
The Minnow would be lost.
The Minnow would be lost.
Ah Gilligans Island; that great TV classic from the sixties about 7 people lost on a deserted island.
And then about a dozen years ago there was a movie starring Tom Hanks about being lost on another deserted island. The movie was Castaway and all I really remember was his companion Wilson; a regulation soccer ball.
And then we have that epic show Lost which just celebrated its' series finale. I must admit I never really watched Lost. I did tune in for the big finale but quite frankly I was lost.
We all know something about being lost. Maybe we have lost our way on a trip. Or perhaps we feel lost when we take a new class in school or tackle a difficult project at work. Sometimes we feel lost in our family relationships or friendships or we may lose our way in our faith life.
As a people of faith do we realize that even we feel lost in our walk with God; he is always seeking us; he wants us to seek Him and that He rejoices with immense joy when we are found.
Today we have an entire chapter of Luke's Gospel to ponder. This 15th chapter finds Jesus sharing three parables; all about something or someone lost. We have the one lost sheep, the widows lost coin and the lost son; known universally as the Prodigal Son. Despite the theme of being lost and the beautiful stories of joyfully finding that which was lost, these are lessons of the love and mercy of the Father.
For our part, we are that lost sheep, or the missing coin or the son who losses his way. But like the shepherd and the widow and the prodigal son we too must acknowledge that we are lost, that we want to repent and return to a condition of being found and return to the Father where He and all of Heaven rejoice!
Jesus reminds us that like the lost sheep we are helpless and vulnerable without God; like the lost coin we have no value without God and like the prodigal son we have no hope and no joy without God.
And Jesus reminds us that God the Father cares and never rests as long as one sheep is lost, one coin remains lost and one prodigal son is still far off. Jesus is saying surrender completely, trust in the Father and learn the power of His mercy and love.
I'm reminded of these parables every week when I visit the men who belong to our Catholic community at Rayburn State Prison or our friends in the Kairos ministry who meet in the room next to ours. Many of these men have truly come full circle; from lost to found. And no; not just because they are in jail. Our ministry and that of the Kairos team truly helps these men become the sheep now found; the coin recovered and the prodigal back home.
And this weekend I'm in prayerful rememberance of September 11, 2001. On that day we lost many due to that awful attack. But trusting in God's mercy we pray that none were truly lost that day; that on that fateful day they found their way home to the Father. And while on the subject; be in prayerful solidarity today with our troops; praying for their safety and their return home to all who miss and love them.
One call to action: tonight we prayed the 51st Psalm for our responsorial. Can we pray that beautiful psalm this week. Reflect on the words; their meaning and pray that God will blot out our offense!
Gilligan and his crew one day were found; the castaway was found too. The crew from Lost; well I'm not sure. But this I am sure of: totally depending on our Father and following the teachings of Jesus; all of us; even once lost can now be found!
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