“Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of
them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one
that is lost until he finds it?
When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices.”—Luke
15:4-5
I’m
not sure how Irish farmers discerned their sheep from their neighbors’ sheep
way back when, but these days the solution is easy: spray paint! The Irish countryside is dotted with
pink-necked sheep and red-sided sheep, green-headed sheep and blue-chested
sheep. That sheep over there with
the orange rump? That one belongs
to McClean. The nice ones with the
fuchsia shoulders on that hill?
They’re the property of Eamon O’Sullivan. And so it goes.
Sheep
aren’t the smartest creatures in the world. I recall Geoff creeping right up onto the tail of one as it
stood absent-mindedly blocking a farm road. Eventually it noticed our presence and sprang out of the way
with an air of unmistakable indignation.
We, too, often fail to recognize dangers until the last minute, don’t
we? Good thing we share something
else with the sheep. We, too, are
marked with an indelible spray-paint.
We are marked with the cross of Christ forever. And who’s to say we can’t envision that
as a colorful aerosol smudge? -- LG
Thank you, Lord, for marking us as belonging
to you. Help us heed your call
when we feel lost. You are our
safety and our refuge. Amen.
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