Are you familiar with the frustration of trying to find something you've lost? I sometimes forget where I put my keys, cell phone, or an important document. As strange as it may sound, my fountain pen was once one of those small things. Whenever I lose this pen, I feel a bit lost. I rejoice every time I find it again, usually hidden somewhere in my backpack. We also find ourselves searching for people.
Parents search for children who wander off. Men and women looking for someone with whom they can share their lives. We all look for friends—people we can share our experiences. We all look for familiar faces in crowds. Sometimes we meet an old friend we haven't seen for a while. The joy of reuniting with someone you thought was lost forever and resuming a relationship may be similar to the feeling evoked by the Gospel story of the lost sheep and coin. Both of these searches are really a search for God, the only one who can satisfy our deepest longings.
In Luke's Gospel, today, the one who lost the one sheep made an extraordinary effort to recover it. Similarly, the woman who lost the coin searched high and low for that coin. The effort exerted indicated how valuable or significant the sheep or coin was.
Finding something in danger of being lost brings much more joy than having something safe in our possession. A reunion with family or friends, especially after harrowing experiences or returning to health after a serious illness, brings us great joy.
Gregory of Nyssa explains the parable of the woman who lost a coin. He explains that the woman in question is looking for her lost humanity. According to him, the lost coin represents her heart and soul, and the woman represents us all.
He goes on to explain:
- The lost coin was sought. The woman left the other nine to look for the lost coin.
- The search was urgent. She was gripped with concern. She looked for the one lost coin as if it were the only one.
- She sought it until she found it. The search was not complacent or slow, as though there was plenty of time. She did not give up despite the difficulties. When she lights a lamp, that lamp is "without any doubt our consciousness, throwing light on our deepest depths." The lost coin can only be found in our own house, that is, in our own self.
- She rejoiced and called for a celebration when she found the coin
According to Gregory, "The parable points to our soul, hidden under the trash of our existence but not yet completely lost."
Are you ready to light a lamp and begin the search for something more valuable than money? Saint Augustine wrote: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."
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