4 November 1982
Rome, Italy

My dear Sisters and my dear Confreres,

It has sometimes been said that St. Luke the Evangelist, besides being a writer, was also an artist. Whether he was or not, we do not know, but it is certain that, when he came to write his Gospel, he shows himself to have many of the qualities of a good artist. Take, for instance, the opening sentences of this morning's Gospel. He presents us with two pictures, Jesus in the midst of the poor and, close to Him but very much apart, the Scribes and Pharisees who criticize Him for associating with such poor and despicable people. In two verses St. Luke succeeds in presenting us with that striking contrast of attitudes. To answer the criticism, Jesus tells three simple but very profound parables which bring us right into the heart of God.

Have you ever noticed this contrast in this morning's Gospel? The Pharisees and Scribes think of sinners as just a group of people. Then Jesus answers their criticism by telling three stories which emphasize the importance of thinking in the singular. A man has one hundred sheep and he loses one. A woman has ten coins and she loses one. A man has two sons and he loses one. Jesus is saying quite clearly to the Pharisees: You think of the poor just as a group of unfortunate people, but God thinks of each of them as individuals. Before we come to the poor, it's important that we ourselves should often reflect on the fact that Jesus Christ is always thinking of us as individuals. In recent years we have been asked to think about the social responsibilities which flow from our celebration of the Eucharist. However, we must never forget that we receive all the Sacraments as individuals. We were baptized as individuals; we were confirmed as individuals; we are fed one by one with the Body and Blood of Christ every day. When we receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we do so normally as individuals, and when we will receive, please God, the Sacrament of the Sick, we will receive it as individuals. We need to reflect often on the fact that we are loved personally by Jesus Christ. To each of us He still says: "I know mine and mine know Me." (Jn 10:14).

When Our Lord told that story about the woman who lost one coin in the house, was He thinking of an experience which Our Lady had in the home at Nazareth? Thank God, it is not always a sin, or even an imperfection, to lose things, and I imagine Our Lady, like the rest of us, suffered from time to time the frustration of not being able to find something quickly, not being able to find something which by chance she had lost. Anyway, the woman in this parable is a poor woman, as Our Lady was a poor woman. The poor we meet have always a sense of loss. The poor with whom you are working have a sense of loss of opportunities or a loss of self-respect, or a loss of money, or a loss of friends or a loss of a sense of direction in life. All the poor we meet are suffering from some sense of loss.

This parable is also a parable of searching. The woman searches the house for the lost coin. A Daughter of Charity is always seeking the poor in affection and, as far as possible, in effect as well. Not only is the individual Daughter of Charity characterized by searching for the poor; so, too, are provinces. Provinces of the Company, and the entire Company itself, must be like the woman in today's parable, searching for those who are lost in life. Like the woman in the parable, we have to keep searching out the hidden corners of society for the poor who are lost.

This parable is also one of rejoicing. The woman rejoices when she finds the lost coin. We ourselves, our communities, our provinces and the Company, have a sense of joy when we are close to the poor. On a few occasions it has been remarked to me in the last two years that those communities are the happiest which are closest to the poor. You as Provincial Councils devote much time to studying and reflecting on the problems of individual communities in your provinces. Let me say just this: joy in a community is a sign that that community is close to the poor. The beauty of these parables is that they reflect the mind and the heart of God Who is always searching for our hearts and always rejoicing when He finds them. These parables illustrate the meaning of the Incarnation and we in turn are called to continue the work of the Incarnation. To the first Sisters St. Vincent said: "You do that which Our Lord did. He went from city to city, village to village, and He healed all those whom He met. Sisters, does that not show you the greatness of your vocation...to do what God did on earth...yes, Sisters, should you not be angels in the flesh? O, pray to God to realize fully the splendor of your employments and the holiness of your actions." (Conf. Eng. ed., 2 Feb. 1653, p. 518).