Raise your hand if you have ever packed for a trip, and then had to unpack when you got home.
There is something satisfying about it. You open the suitcase, take everything out, and put it back where it belongs. I recently returned from a priests' retreat in India, where I did a different kind of unpacking: not just my suitcase, but the burdens I had been carrying.
The Treasure of Being Found
Saint Paul knew about heavy bags. In our first reading, he opens his: his background, his learning, his faithful observance of the law. A suitcase full of credentials. Then he met Jesus, and he says, "I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." Not worthless, but no comparison.
And notice how Paul came to know Christ: he was found. In the Gospel, a shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one. A woman lights a lamp and sweeps her whole house for one silver coin. In both stories, someone goes looking. God does not give up on us. He carries us home on his shoulders, rejoicing.
Known and Loved by God
During the retreat, I met with a sister for counseling. Somewhere in our conversation, she mentioned my favorite foods: almonds and jackfruit. I was surprised! Such small things. Yet in that moment I felt it: God knows me through and through, down to what delights me. Jesus is so good. He cares about you intensely.
That is the One we possess: not a résumé, but a Shepherd who knows our names, our burdens, even our favorite foods. To possess only Christ is to be free, so that resentment, worry, and the need to prove ourselves no longer possess us. And he possessed us first.
Living in the Freedom of Christ
So this week, three invitations.
First, take ten quiet minutes and unpack before God what you carry.
Second, name one thing you rely on to prove yourself, and let it go.
Third, notice someone who feels forgotten, and show them, by your care, that God knows them.
Let us pray.
Lord Jesus, thank you for seeking us whenever we lose our way. You know us through and through. Help us set down the burdens we do not need to carry. Be our only treasure and our only home. Open our eyes to those who feel forgotten, and teach us to welcome one another with joy. Amen.
