Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 11, 2025: We are his people, the sheep of his flock...

We are his people, the sheep of his flock…
Why do we trust in the Shepherd? 

    It is perhaps not surprising that Jesus’ authority comes from the union he has with his Father; the Father and I are one, Jesus tells his disciples in John’s Gospel. And it is precisely from this union that Jesus can be the shepherd the people have long awaited: My sheep hear my voice; I know them and they follow me. Because they belong to God, they belong to Jesus; it is his death and rising that gives them eternal life, so that they shall not perish. Like the psalmist and his community in Psalm 100, who recognize the Lord as their leader, the disciples have learned that they are Jesus’ people, the sheep of his flock. Jesus is and will remain the focus of their thanksgiving and the core of their own sense of identity. 

    When, in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul and Barnabas make every effort to spread the good news, even to the Gentiles, they serve as conduits, bringing the touch of their shepherd Jesus to all they meet. When the Word of God touches the hearts of the people who hear Paul and Barnabas speak, many Gentiles come to believe. Although Paul and Barnabas’ Jewish listeners are filled with jealousy, and the two must simply shake the dust from their feet and move on, knowing they are doing what they have been called to do, following their shepherd, filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. 

    The image of Jesus as shepherd is complicated in the Book of Revelation by the fact that, having died and risen, Jesus is now the Lamb who is in the center of the throne who will shepherd the people and lead them to springs of life-giving water. The Lamb who was slain is now the shepherd; because the Lamb now lives, those under persecution for their faith know that they too will live, so long as they hold onto the faith that connects them to the one who leads them to eternal life, for they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They must not lose heart, nor must they lose sight of the Lamb who shepherds them – and neither should we. Jesus has touched our hearts, and we know eternally that we are indeed his people, the sheep of his flock! 

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com

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