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제목 The sermom of the 3rd sunday after the pentecost by rev. fr. Ferrer
작성자 관리자 작성일 2026-06-14
3rd Sunday after Pentecost Seoul (14. Jun. 2026) - rev. fr. Ferrer

1. Last Friday, in the feast of the sacred heart of Jesus, holy mother church made us contemplate the reality of that divine heart, its greatness and the depth of its love for us. Seeing the beauty of the whole creation, seeing the wisdom and goodness of our redemption, seeing the finality and the model of our sanctification, to say that Our Lord really loves us is simply an understatement.

2. However, Our Savior won’t be content to show us just how much He loves us, that same loving Sacred Heart would also show us what we really are. With the aim of healing us, Our Lord, with such kindness and tenderness, will point out to us our wounds so that we may see what we usually do not want to see and in a way that we cannot unsee them anymore.

3. Today’s two parables are simply the prologue or the introduction before that great parable of the Prodigal Son. The parable of the Prodigal Son indeed contains many sublime truths but they can be misrepresented if they are not understood according to the light of the two preceeding parables, today’s two parables. That is precisely the case when modern churchmen expounds on God’s mercy but as something separated or, at least, separable from His justice and wisdom. 

4. The parable of the lost sheep shows us our total dependence on our shepherd who is God, Our Lord. Though the sheep may be self sufficient in feeding and tending to itself, in practice that is simply not true. It is a fact that sheep following a shepherd fare better than those without shepherd. 
길 잃은 양의 비유는 우리의 목자이신 천주, 곧 오주 예수 그리스도께 우리가 얼마나 전적으로 의탁해야 하는지를 잘 보여줍니다. 양이 스스로 먹이를 구하고 자신을 돌볼 수 있는 것처럼 보여도, 실제로는 결코 그렇지 못합니다. 목자를 따르는 양이 목자 없는 양보다 훨씬 더 안전하게 보호받는 법입니다.

5. To find green grass, to find flowing or living waters, the sheep needs to hear the shepherd. To find an apt resting place, protected from the early afternoon heat, the sheep needs to follow the voice of the shepherd. The shepherd’s crooked staff, used to uncomfortably pull the sheep by the neck, to herd them together into a more manageable defensive position, that same crooked staff is the weapon by which the shepherd defends the flock when a pack of wolves come to attack.

6. And because the shepherd alone may be insufficient against a pack of wolves, or simply insufficient to herd a numerous flock, therefore it is all but normal for shepherds to have shepherd dogs who will simply bark the same dispositions of the shepherd himself. A dog is no match for a wolf. But a few dogs together with the shepherd are stronger than a pack of hunting wolves. A flock may be too big for a single shepherd to guide. But with a few faithful shepherd dogs barking and running around the flock, the shepherd can be assured that no sheep can be lost.

7. A sheep that has gone astray, therefore, is not impossible. But for that to happen, one can say that the sheep really had to want to go his own way. This sheep’s future becomes bleak when it comes to food and water. It becomes bleaker if by sunset it does not have a shelter. It becomes bleaker still if there is rain or snow. And what can we say if during the night a pack of hunter wolves show up?

8. Fortunately, the shepherd is of a nature that the misery of even just a lone sheep weighs in his heart greatly that he is capable of setting out alone at night, having secured the 99, to get to the lost sheep before it succumbs to hunger or, worse, before the wolves tears it to shreds. 

9. We may be proud of straying away from the shepherd. But that will not change the reality that we depend on him more than we would ever care to admit. Freedom from the shepherd’s staff may bring pleasure, even pride, at first. But soon will come our perdition. Due to lack of food, or shelter or worse. Freedom at what cost then?

10. The parable of the drachma shows us our innate value, a gift from our creator himself, and how He values us in a way seemingly much more than our true value. A drachma is a silver coin, next only to gold when it comes to innate value. Meaning, after the divine and angelic natures, nothing is of greater value in this universe than our nature, spiritual and immortal.
11. The drachma carries the emperor’s image, just like us made according to the image and likeness of God. Not just a chunk of precious metal but by bearing the sovereign’s image it has to be recognized as a treasure throughout the empire. Just like us, not just created but even redeemed and made capable of an eternity of happiness without limits.

12. God chose ten drachmas to show that they are a treasure of a lifetime. God chose the figure of a woman to represent himself to show how diligent he is in holding on to his treasure, purchased by his blood and his life. 

13. The loss of one coin troubles him so that even if his treasure is relatively intact, he loses his sleep, lights a lamp and moves the house furnitures just to find that coin. He incommodates himself by becoming man. He comes to the darkness of this world, carrying the lamp of himself for He is the “true light that came to this world” says the gospel. He sweeps the house with the broom of the cross, he moves the hearts of men, heavier than furnitures, with his teachings. 

14. And when he finds the lost drachma he treats the entire heavenly court represented by the neighbors, a sign of the great value of a single drachma for him. This shows how Our Lord values each and every single soul.

15. However, this parable also shows us something implicit, something hidden from the eyes of most men. Though we are of precious metal, silver, our worth depends on being constantly subject to the salutary pressure of the hand of the woman. As coins we belong either to her hand or to her purse. We cannot be in any other place.

16. If a drachma falls from the hand of the woman, it will always be of silver, true. But the image of the emperor slowly disappears as dust covers the coin. As time goes by even its being of silver is soon forgotten. It’s as if it had lost its value, as if it’s the same as the ground that is trodden upon. The longer it is away from the woman’s power the more insignificant it becomes.

17. We may be spiritual beings, immortal and rational. We may have been redeemed, made according to God’s image and likeness, capable of an eternity of happiness. But away from God we are but dust, useless and insignificant. If we are sinners, then worse than excrement. Worthy only of being thrown away where there is “constant weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

18. And so we see God’s goodness by looking at how He created us. We see greater goodness yet by seeing how He redeemed us. All that goodness has His Sacred Heart as motor. In spite of all this we still see such kindness and goodness in His being so merciful to us.

19. However, these two parables show us that no matter how good and how merciful our God and Redeemer may be, if we do not remain in his fold, if we do not remain in his purse, nor remain in his hand, then not even His mercy can save us from being torn to pieces and being ultimately lost and forgotten.

20. The most Sacred Heart of Jesus is indeed overflowing with goodness and love, that love of God is what we call charity. However, as St Augustine said, “He who created you without you will not save you without you”. It means it is not enough to simply recognize His love for us, it is necessary to correspond to that love as well, that it be reciprocated. 

21. And since love, when truly reciprocated, can only be proven by the union of sacrifices, therefore it is not enough to simply admire Our Lord’s goodness and virtues, it is equally necessary to carry our own crosses, acquire and assimilate those virtues, work out our own salvation by battling sin and the consequences of sin in us in order to truly assimilate His divine Person in our own selves.

22. If this may seem to be a daunting task, then again let us turn our gaze towards the Sacred Heart, source of all the graces that we need. Amen.