A Glorious Day at the Lost & Found

From the 94th meditation of The way of salvation, meditations for every day of the year, tr. by J. Jones By Alfonso Maria de' Liguori (st.) (on the joy of Jesus Christ at finding the Lost Sheep):

Our Blessed Saviour says of Himself in St. Luke, (chap, xv.) that He is the affectionate shepherd, who having lost one of His hundred sheep, leaves the ninety-nine in the desert, and goes in search of the one that is lost; and finding it receives it with joy, takes it on His shoulders, and returning home calls together His neighbours to rejoice with Him, saying; "rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep that was lost." O divine shepherd! I have been that lost sheep, but Thou hast sought me until, as I hope, Thou hast found me. Thou hast found me and I have found Thee. How shall I ever again stray away from Thee, my beloved Lord? And yet such a misfortune may happen to me. O permit it not, never suffer me, O Jesus, to leave Thee and to lose Thee again.

But why, O Jesus, dost Thou call together Thy friends to rejoice with Thee for having found the lost sheep? Shouldst Thou not rather bid them rejoice with the lost sheep, for its having again found Thee, its God? But so great is Thy love for my poor soul, that Thou esteemest it Thy happiness to have found it! My dearest Redeemer, since Thou hast found me, bind me to Thee with the blessed bonds of Thy holy love, that I may always love Thee and may never more depart from Thee.

God, says the prophet, no sooner hears the voice of the penitent sinner crying to Him for mercy, than He immediately answers and forgives Him: At the voice of Thy cry, as soon as He shall hear, He will answer thee. Isa. xxx. 19. Behold me then at Thy sacred feet, O God, grieved from the bottom of my heart for having so often offended Thee, and craving Thy compassion and pardon. I can no longer endure to behold myself at a distance from Thee and deprived of Thy love. Thou art infinite goodness, and most worthy of infinite love. If hitherto I have despised Thy grace, I now value it above all the kingdoms of the earth. And because I have offended Thee, I beseech Thee to avenge Thyself upon me, not indeed by casting me away from Thy face, but by giving me such a sorrow for my sins as may cause me to lament my guilt before Thee, all the days of my life. Lord, I love Thee with my whole heart, and as I cannot trust that I shall continue faithful to Thy love, be Thou my help and my succour. And do thou, O holy Virgin help me with your holy intercession.

books.google.com/books?id=VHsBAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA151#v=onepage&q&f=false ... rather apropos given the title of this ghost-town of a blog. ;-) St. Alphonsus, Ora pro nobis! www.oremus.org/hymnal/l/l546.html