Acts 4.8-12・ Ps. 118.1+2,16+17,22+23・ John 3.1-2・ John 10.11-18
I hope we do not forget the eternal mercy of God and the peace that the Risen Christ gives/offers us. This same mercy of God and this same peace will be the basis of our deeper recognition of Jesus in our daily life.
With the many weaknesses of this world and the humanity, sometimes people ask if the peace of Christ is really attainable while on earth. Sometimes people ask too as to how the mercy of God is being experienced (or can be experienced) by each one while terrible diseases, continued injustice and maybe discrimination brought about by greediness in various ways, worldly pursuit of many of worldly power and wealth. It is self-preservation and protection, and many more reasons we indeed have justifying our attachments to things of this world.
Things that are so difficult to understand bring us to acknowledge the necessity for further reflection of the Word of God, and from honest to goodness, calm ourselves, and honestly consider listening to the words of guidance from the unseen God who from the very beginning loves to gather each one of us to a shelter and a resting place intended for all of us His children. We do not have a God who wishes His children to scatter meaninglessly.
Jesus speaks of Himself as “Good Shepherd.”
In here, His Shepherding is specifically differentiated to a hired employee/person who simply look after the sheepfold, and because the hired man does not own the sheep runs away when the wolf is coming.
Good Shepherd Sunday further explains to us that there is a mutual bond of love and intimacy between us and Jesus. By fully recognizing our daily life in His passion, death and resurrection, we fully identify ourselves to Him and remain in His fold, and bring others too to our present fold. We leave our sheepfold open for all others with total trust in Him to take care of us and defend us against the wolves.
Pray for religious and priestly vocation. May their shepherding, sense of commitment and responsibility to the people of God be fully identified to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, and to Jesus` ways of Shepherding,.
We also pray for each one and every Christian community to always recognize Jesus as our Good Shepherd, and to always recognize His voice all the time.
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