You Are Not Your Own

Voice over by Esther Han

Rom 14:7-12; Psalm: 26; Lk 15:1-10

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, the Word of God today speaks to the deepest longings of the human heart: the desire to belong, the fear of being lost, and the joy of being found. It reveals a truth that comforts, challenges, and ultimately liberates us: we are not our own; we belong entirely to the Lord, whose love is a restless, seeking love that will not let us go.

Saint Paul, writing to the Romans, presents a foundational truth of our existence: “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.” From our first breath to our last, and for all eternity, we are oriented toward another. Our life is a relationship. Paul explains why: “For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord.” This is not a burden, but the key to our identity. We belong to Christ, who died and rose to become the “Lord of both the dead and the living.” This means our worth, our purpose, and our final judgment are anchored not in our fluctuating feelings or the fickle opinions of others, but in the steadfast love of our Creator and Redeemer. We are His.

This profound truth of our belonging is the very reason for the seeking love we see in the Gospel. The Pharisees and scribes murmur, criticizing Jesus for welcoming sinners and eating with them. In response, Jesus tells two of his most beloved parables. A shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one that is lost. A woman sweeps her entire house to find one lost coin. And in both cases, the recovery of what was lost sparks a celebration, a joy that is shared with friends and neighbors. Jesus concludes, “I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.”

Why does God seek the lost so relentlessly? Because we belong to Him. The sheep and the coin are His. We are not anonymous souls in a cosmic crowd; we are known and claimed. The Lord’s pursuit of us is not a distant, abstract operation. It is the personal, passionate love of the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep by name. As Saint John Paul II beautifully expressed, “God is on the side of the one who is lost. He is the God of the second chance, the God of the unending search.”

This offers us immense comfort and spiritual strength. When we feel lost—in sin, in grief, in confusion—we are not forgotten. We are being sought. The Hound of Heaven is on our trail. And when we stray, the goal is not our condemnation but a heavenly celebration. It also challenges us to shed the self-righteousness of the Pharisees. We are all the lost sheep who have been found. Therefore, we have no grounds for judgment, only for mercy.

How do we apply this? First, in our own lives, we must allow ourselves to be found. We must heed the gentle voice of the Shepherd in prayer and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Second, we must become seekers ourselves. We are called to have the heart of the Shepherd for the lost in our families and communities, seeking them not with judgment, but with the persistent, joyful love of Christ.

As Saint John Chrysostom exhorts us, “Let us imitate the Samaritan woman, let us imitate the woman with a hemorrhage… who did not hide their weakness but sought a cure.” Let us, then, live today in the joyful freedom of those who belong to Christ, and with His heart, help others to know they are sought, they are loved, and they, too, are His. Amen.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.