Shepherds in the Ancient East used to count sheep when they returned from the pasture and were always ready to set out in search if one was missing. They would even brave the desert and the night, in order to find those sheep that had gone astray.
This parable is a story of loss and finding again that clearly demonstrates the shepherd’s love for the flock. He notices that one of the sheep is missing, searches for it, finds it and carries it on his shoulders because it is weak, frightened, perhaps wounded and unable to follow the shepherd unaided. He brings the sheep back to safety and, finally, full of joy, invites his neighbours to celebrate together.
Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.
Three actions – getting lost, finding and celebrating – are the recurring themes in this story.
Getting lost. The good news is that the Lord goes out to find those who are lost. We often lose the way in the various situations we encounter or in which we live or even take refuge. These may include experiences of abandonment, marginalization, poverty, misunderstanding or disunity. They are like the desert where the path ahead is unclear. The shepherd searches for us even in these places, and although we may lose sight of him, he will always find us.
Finding. Let us try to imagine the scene of the shepherd’s frantic search in the desert. It is an image that is striking in its expressive power. We can understand the joy felt by both the shepherd and the sheep when they find one another: this encounter restores that sense of security to the sheep because it has escaped danger. Thus, the ‘finding’ is an act of divine mercy.
Celebration. The shepherd gathers his friends together to celebrate because he wants to share his joy, just as the main character does in the other two parables that follow this one: that of the lost coin and that of the merciful father[1]. Jesus wants us to understand the importance of sharing joy with everyone and immunizes us against the temptation to judge each other. We have all been ‘found again’.
Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.
This Word of Life is an invitation to be grateful for the mercy God has for us all personally. Rejoicing and celebrating together present us with an image of unity, where there is no opposition between ‘righteous’ and ‘sinners,’ but we share in each other’s joy.
Chiara Lubich writes, ‘It is an invitation to understand the heart of God and to believe in his love. We are inclined to calculate and measure and sometimes we believe that even God’s love may grow weary… but God’s logic is not like ours. God is always waiting for us: indeed, we bring him immense joy every time – even though it be an infinite number of times that we return to him.’ [2].
Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep.
Sometimes we can be those shepherds, those caretakers, for one another and lovingly search for those who have drifted away from us, from our friendship or from our community. We can look out for the marginalized, the lost, the people driven to the peripheries by the trials of life.
A teacher told us ‘Some pupils didn’t come to classes regularly. When I was free, I used to go to the market near the school because I hoped to see them there because I knew some of them worked there to earn money. One day I finally found them. They were amazed that I had gone to look for them personally and were struck by the fact that they were really important to the whole school community. So they started to come to school regularly and it truly was a celebration for everyone.’
A teacher recounts, “A group of pupils often tended to skip lessons. When I was free, I used to go to the market near the school hoping to see them because I had heard that several of them worked there to earn money. One day, I finally found them: they were amazed that I, personally, had gone looking for them. They were really struck by what I had done and this helped them understand how important they were to the whole school community. They began attending school regularly and this brought a sense of joy to everyone.”
This experience expresses the inalienable value of every human being. It speaks to us of unconditional acceptance, of never ceasing to hope and of the joy that everyone experiences when someone is reintegrated into a community because this restores their dignity and acknowledges their unique value as a person.
There are times when we cannot all “walk” through life at the same pace. Our own frailty, or that of others, may prevent us from always moving forward along side those who accompany us. On our journey. There are many different reasons why this may happen such as tiredness, confusion or suffering… But it is precisely in these moments that a profoundly human and radically communitarian form of love can emerge: this love is attentive to other people and knows how to stop and look towards those who can no longer keep up. It is seen in behaviour that demonstrates closeness and faithfulness. It protects, gathers up and accompanies just as a parent does with their child. It is patient, understanding, respectful and trusting. It is seen in the way we carry each other’s burdens, not as a duty, but on account of our freely committing to a love that seeks to maintain unity in the community, family and society even if this means moving slowly.
This type of love – the kind that cares, that seeks, that includes other people – makes no distinction between good and bad or between “worthy” and “unworthy.” It reminds us that at some point in our lives, we may all find ourselves “lost “and that the collective joy of being “found”again is stronger than any judgment or separation.
This Idea is an invitation to see the other person not for what he or she has done, but for the fact that they are unique and worthy of being loved. It invites us to make an ethical choice to care, to avoid leaving anyone behind or abandoned and to restore bonds wherever they are broken. It also encourages us to celebrate all our efforts to increase the presence of human values wherever we are.
Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher, regarded deep relationships as a source of truth, and said that authenticity is not found in what we do alone, but in the respectful and gratuitous encounter with other people.
THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is currently produced by the Focolare Movement’s “Centre for Dialogue with People of Non religious Beliefs”. It is an initiative that began in 2014 in Uruguay to share with non-believing friends the values of the Word of Life, i.e. the phrase from Scripture that members of the Movement strive to put into practice in their daily lives. Currently, THE IDEA OF THE MONTH is translated into 12 languages and distributed in more than 25 countries, with adaptations of the text according to different cultural sensitivities. www. dialogue4unity.focolare.org
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you but sometimes, after a large forest fire, when everything is burnt, bare, covered in ash, lifeless, you can spot a small plant sprouting – right there, where everything seemed dead. When I notice this, I feel something beautiful: where life seemed to have ended, nature is stronger. It grows, triumphs, lives, even when it seems impossible. It is in those moments that I understand how wonderful it is to live on a planet capable of regenerating itself, despite its wounds.
But for how much longer will it be able to do so?
On 2nd July, the Message of the Holy Father Leo XIV for the X World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation which will be celebrated on Monday, September 1, 2025 was published. It is entitled Seeds of Peace and Hope. What a splendid legacy Francis left us with his Encyclical Laudato Sì published ten years ago: so current, important and precious. And I find it very beautiful that Pope Leo takes up this legacy by highlighting the month dedicated to the Care of Creation (1st September-4th October), which begins with this day of prayer.
But what does this Message actually declare?
Returning to the example of the forest fire, Leo XIV reminds us that, “Seeds are buried in the earth, and there, to our wonder, life springs up, even in the most unexpected places, pointing to the promise of new beginnings”. Then he addresses us, inhabitants of this world, reminding us that “in Christ we too are seeds”. Not only that, but “seeds of Peace and Hope”.
This is a strong and clear invitation to live the ecumenical initiative of the “Season of Creation” from 1st September-4th October. It is a month of initiatives to invent, prepare and implement so as to pay every more attention to the care of our “common home”, which we all inhabit, regardless of our differences. Pope Leo says, “Together with prayer, determination and concrete actions are necessary if this “caress of God” is to become visible to our world”. Further on he says, “we seem incapable of recognizing that the destruction of nature does not affect everyone in the same way. When justice and peace are trampled underfoot, those who are most hurt are the poor, the marginalized and the excluded. (…)By working with love and perseverance, we can sow many seeds of justice and thus contribute to the growth of peace and the renewal of hope”.
Everyone is called to participate: individually or in groups, in associations, organizations, companies… why not? Each with their own ideas, their own commitment.
In his Message, Pope Leo XIV writes: “The Encyclical Laudato Sì has now guided the Catholic Church and many people of good will for ten years. May it continue to inspire us and may integral ecology be increasingly accepted as the right path to follow. In this way, seeds of hope will multiply, to be “tilled and kept” by the grace of our great and unfailing Hope, who is the risen Christ”.
And what does the Pope do? He begins himself by promoting these initiatives first. He established, for the first time in the history of the Church, a “Mass for the Care of Creation”, made official through the Decree on the Mass pro custodia creationis. Pope Leo XIV used this new form already on 9th July, 2025 during a private Eucharist that he celebrated at the Borgo Laudato Sì, during his stay at Castel Gandolfo (Rome). From now on, anyone can ask to celebrate a Mass with this intention, to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted to us: in our daily choices, in public policies, in prayer, in worship and in the way we inhabit the world.
The title Seeds of Peace and Hope today appears as a disarming prophecy. Perhaps they are the only two words that, in this dark time for humanity, continue to make sense. They are words that allow us to start again, to sow and to believe that that fresh grass will continue to grow even where the land seems scorched and dead. Actions like these make me understand that all the Churches do not change their minds about the essential questions for the life of humanity. And above all, that they do not stop thinking about the future of the new generations.
The annual meeting of the Moderators of Lay Associations, Ecclesial Movements and New Communities took place in the Vatican from the 4th to 6th of June 2025. This event, held on the eve of the Jubilee of the Movements, gathered the various ecclesial realities in St. Peter’s Square with Pope Leo XIV. The Focolare Movement was represented. At a time when the world is deeply divided and even polarised, the participants shared a common desire to unite their charisms and contribute to the Church’s journey toward greater unity. Below are some interviews with presidents and founders of movements or communities who highlight the urgent need to feel part of one family going along this journey. They also express their gratitude that they can work together to increase a sense of hope in the world.
Let’s listen to Chiara Amirante, foundress of the New Horizons Community.
