PAST IS PAST?

An old teacher asked her student, "If I say, 'I am beautiful,' which tense is that?"
One student replied, "Ma’am, that is obviously a PAST tense." 

Today’s gospel reading in Luke 15:1-10 talks about our INSIGNIFICANT PAST in
the eyes of the Lord. Why insignificant? Because our past actions do not define who we
are in God. That is how God values each of us. He still wants us to be with Him, to serve
Him, to enjoy his freedom. Sabi ko nga, environmentalist ba si God? Kasi, He reuses. He
recycles. He reclaims. Nakatutuwa at napakasarap lang namnamin ang sabi ni Jesus sa
Luke 15: 10, “Gayon din, sinasabi ko sa inyo, na may tuwa sa harapan ng mga anghel ng
Dios, dahil sa isang makasalanang nagsisisi.”
Dito sa mundo ang drama natin ay ganito: “Kung someone leaves you, set him or
her free. Pero kung bumalik, isip ka ulit. Siyempre, set him or her free again.” Ganyan
din ang Panginoon. Pero, God has another context and meaning ng “setting us free.”
Kung sa mga mag-jowa, ang “setting free” ay paghihiwalay, in God, “setting free” is a
renewed connection and a renewed relationship.
Our lectionary reading today portrays that God desires to win us back. But what
caused ba kasi ng ating pagkawalay sa landas? Answer: Our unwillingness to cooperate,
our towering pride, our enjoyment to sin, our personal desired. In short, we start going
against the rest of the flock because we have already emphasized our personal way.
Now, think. What are the worldly things that lead us away from the good flock?
What are our personal desires that lead us away from the Good Shepherd? Yes, we may
be present in the church every Sunday, but we may be so unaware that we have already
been lost.
God calls.
God beckons.
God searches.
Let us stop and re-examine our relationship with Him again. When we seem to be
losing, to be moving away from the flock of the Good Shepherd, let us listen to His voice
and surrender again. Let go and let God. On the other hand, when we are still within the
company of His flock, let us also use our voices, our ministry, our time, our lives to help
the Good Shepherd look for the lost brethren.
Again, every saint has a past. Every sinner has a future. In God’s context, the past
is not past. Amen.