J49 Who? Oh yeah...I know the one you mean. Haven't seen him...

Matthew 18:10-12 "Do not despise one of these little ones ... does he not leave the ninety-nine? ... He rejoices over it more ..."

Chromatius: " ... the little children, that is, humble people in the laity who simply and faithfully believe in the Son of God." (1)

Reflection: We moved dozens of times in 24 years of Army life, which brought us into a variety of churches. Many congregations do a pretty good job welcoming guests, at least at first.

Invariably, pastors spend 99% of their time tending the mature believers -- the steadfast, reliable, mature and committed attenders. And hopefully, tithers. An investment that pays off in congregational stability and maximizes discipling of the growing. I get it.

Who are the little children? Believers, for sure. They were evangelized, but somewhere their discipleship got disconnected. Or maybe, they felt unworthy in the presence of mature believers. Maybe the mature ones were too busy "virtue signaling" to notice that less mature believer. Maybe a little inept socially, or visibly from a less esteemed walk of life, or poorly educated. Maybe an introvert.

The medical term "failure to thrive" comes to mind. No overt illness, no red flags for which urgent care is needed -- just neglect, leading to disaffection, to absence physically or in the spirit.

What the shepherd did NOT do was turn to the mature sheep and say, look after that one. He seems under-developed. Are the older sheep crowding him out of the good grazing? Tend him.

The shepherd felt confident that the mature sheep would be fine in his absence. Maybe the rams were strong enough to protect the flock while he sought -- nurtured-- the lost one. Carried him back. In utter tenderness.

This sounds critical, and I guess it is. But the "mature" sheep are demanding the shepherd's attention, even though they could take care of themselves.

My prayer today: Dear Holy One, thank you for seeking me out. For calling to me, until I heard your voice and came. For carrying me on your shoulders until I could stand on my own four feet. Send me out the next time. Let me see the ones at the edge of the flock, the ones who came but didn't flourish. Let me be the one to carry someone back to the flock. Please do not let me be so attracted by the healthy sheep that I ignore the one with the shabby fleece.

(1) Chromatius, "Tractate on Matthew 57.1" in Ancient Christian Commentary, NT Vol 1b, Simonetti, Ed.

04/15/2020