Sunday Gospel Reflection, June 18, 2023: We are his people: the sheep of his flock...

We are his people: the sheep of his flock…

What does our relationship with God call us to? 

    We belong to God. Our relationship with the Lord is based in covenant, in our acceptance of God’s promise to be faithful to us, and our (often failed) promise to remain faithful to God. When, in the Book of Exodus, Moses goes up the mountain to God, the Lord reassures him, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people. Moses and his community know that the Lord has drawn them into relationship because of the deep love the Lord has for his creation. In Psalm 100, the people of Israel sing joyfully to the Lord and serve the Lord with gladness because, as the psalmist notes, he made us, his we are. They recognize themselves to be God’s chosen people, beloved from the beginning of time, and come before him with joyful song! 

    In Jesus’ time, God proves God’s love and compassion for all humanity once and for all by sending his Son Jesus to bring salvation to all. This wondrous act, as Paul tells the Romans, reconciles us to God, so that we will be saved by his life. Jesus’ every act is born of love and compassion for humanity. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus’ heart is moved with pity for the crowds who come to hear him teach and preach. The crowds are troubled and abandoned, and Jesus knows they need shepherds to guide them, so he sends forth his twelve disciples, giving them the power to heal their world. Their relationship with the Lord enables the disciples to act out of love for all, giving without cost. 

    Acting in knowledge and full awareness of God's infinite love for all, we too can go forth as Jesus’ twelve disciples did, bringing that love to our broken world in the form of mercy and forgiveness. We do this out of love for that world, without a care for our own needs, for, like the twelve disciples, without cost we have received; without cost we are to give. We belong to God, having been born of God’s love, and we are called to bring that love to all, following the one who gave all for us all. 

This post was inspired by Fr. Pat's many amazing Scripture classes.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com