A reflection on Luke 15:8–10 for Thursday of the 31st Week in Ordinary Time.
I understand that woman looking for her lost coin. I can be really determined when I can’t find something. The search begins calmly. Before long, cushions are on the floor and everyone in the house has been questioned.
The woman in Jesus’ parable has lost one of her ten coins. She lights a lamp, sweeps the house, and keeps looking until she finds it. Then she calls her friends and neighbors to celebrate. Jesus compares her joy with the joy of heaven over one sinner who repents.
I love that Jesus tells us a story about this woman. It helps His listeners understand how much God wants a sinner to return. The lamp, the broom, the careful search—all of it belongs in His teaching about divine love. And he tells a story which women can understand.
Women’s everyday experience does not always receive that kind of attention in church. We are thanked for bringing meals to the rectory, teaching children at Sunday school, and organizing parish activities. And these are all good things. But I also want to hear about what women have learned while doing that work. What do they understand about patience, forgiveness, or helping someone begin again?
A woman who has spent years caring for a difficult relative may have something worth hearing about mercy. A mother learning to listen to an adult child may understand how love can remain faithful without controlling another person. Their experience deserves a place in our conversations about God. But we rarely hear them mentioned from the pulpit.
So I appreciate this parable. I need that woman’s persistence for myself. There are days when I am tired of bringing the same problems to prayer. This Gospel gives me a woman still looking, still expecting to find what she values. Jesus chose her to tell us something about God.
God, help me receive the wisdom women have gained through ordinary work and faithful love. When I am ashamed to turn back to You, remind me how much You desire my return. Amen.
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