Contemplation inspired by the gospel reading for this week, Luke 15.

We all know what its like. Were on a summer vacation, and we are out looking for a place we have never been before! And then the street names start not to make sense, and with each step there is the funny feeling that something isn’t right. And finally it hits. I am lost; I must find the way back.

Within every human soul, within each one of us, there is a seeker- one who longs to find the way back. This seeker in us is our spiritual heart which knows of our true home.

And yet, so often our connection to this seeker in us is dampened, threatened. For the biggest danger to our spiritual heart is not that we loose our way, but that the temptations and distractions in us would have us believe that what we see now is our true home, or that the journey back is illusion because we are already perfect just the way we are.

But in our gospel today, Christ proclaims a radical truth. He proclaims that in order to stay connected and in touch with this true seeker in us, we must first realize that we are actually lost. He proclaims that becoming a true human being means first knowing that we are in the dark, accepting that we are the lost sheep- thatwe are the prodigal son who must loose his way, if he is to find his true home.

These powerful imaginations of the gospel show that our true humanity does not arise by being someone who is already home in this world or already spiritually perfect, but our true humanity is a living process of being lost and found. We awaken when we quietly, inwardly, again and again pray; I am lost. Oh, Lord, find me!