Cycle C - Year I:  

12 May 2019: Fourth Sunday of Easter 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 13:14, 43-52

Second Reading:   Revelation 7:9, 14b-17

Gospel:  Please Read  John 10:27-30

In safe hand...with the Good Shepherd!

A good leader is a reflection of those he or she leads. And someone said that "A great person attracts great people and knows how to hold them together."

But what do you expect from a leader?  The question is foremost in everyone's mind as we approach another national election in our collective journey as a sovereign Filipino nation.

On the Fourth Sunday of Easter the liturgy inspires us with the timely message about what a leader should be in the image of our risen Lord Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Now of the many titles attributed to our Lord Jesus, perhaps the most consoling and reassuring is that of the Good Shepherd. And it is our Lord Himself who claims that title. (Jn 10:11)

A little backgrounder on the Gospel narrative: Shepherding was the main occupation of people during the time of Jesus. Hence, the imagery of a "Good Shepherd" relates to the practical realities of the daily living of people at that time.

Although it is different in our Filipino culture, nonetheless we can reflect on the qualities of a "good shepherd" and the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep to understand God's message to His people in today's liturgy.

Good Shepherd is an image that implies someone who gives caring, compassionate leadership. The shepherd walks in front of the sheep, and the sheep follow the sheep freely; they are not driven or coerced.

In the opening of the Gospel passage Jesus said, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me." (Jn 10:27) Thus, the relationship between the Shepherd and the sheep is a mutual recognition  through the use of voice, a picture of the sheep following the shepherd voluntarily based on total trust.

And those who stay with the Shepherd never get lost. Because we know and believe that Jesus our Good Shepherd is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Even if one sheep happens to go astray, the Shepherd leaves the ninety-nine and goes in search of the one that has wandered and bring it back.

And Jesus also says that we have been given by the Father to the Son. And so it is in Jesus and through Him that we find our way back to the Father. Because our Lord Jesus Christ is the Truth and Life and He alone can lead us to the very source of all Truth and Life, and that is God Himself.

What is the practical application of this Sunday's Gospel in our lives today?

It is really a timely message. For we can use this imagery of the Good Shepherd to guide us in choosing our leaders in the national election on May 13, We should support leaders who by their examples of caring and compassionate leadership, and love and respect for life can truly transform us to be a God-fearing people again.

The second point in our reflection is on the sheep-like attitude. We are the sheep and the sheep listen to and recognize the voice of the shepherd. We must follow our Good Shepherd and not another.

And so as followers of our Lord Jesus, it is important for us to recognize the voice of Jesus as it comes to us in our daily life. The voice of Jesus may take many forms in our Christian living. It comes to us first and foremost through the official teaching of the Church, which our Lord Jesus Christ Himself established since apostolic times. It is also in the voice of those who come into our daily lives to preach and witness the Good News.

And we are likely to get lost if we do not recognize, or refuse to heed, our Good Shepherd in the voice of His Church and those proclaiming God's kingdom. Sadly many have lost their way, even those who profess to be Christians, They do not know where the Shepherd is, or perhaps they do not have shepherds.

The last point in our reflection: This Sunday is also Vocation Sunday. Let us pray that more generous individuals answer the call to dedicate their lives in a special way to the ministry of the Church community. Let us also pray for our priests, bishops, and the Pope that they remain good shepherds of God's flock entrusted to their care here on earth.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!,

Cycle C - Year I:  

5 May 2019: Third Sunday of Easter 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41

Second Reading:   Revelation 5:11-14

Gospel:  Please Read  John 21:1-19

Jesus calls: "Follow me!"

Have you ever been asked the question "Do you love me?"  Well, we all may have encountered such a question.  It sounds straightforward but it is not easy to answer though. Because if we answer "yes" it does not stop there; it demands a commitment, a witnessing to prove such love.

In today's Gospel narrative, we hear our risen Lord ask Simon Peter the same question of "Do you love me?" not once but thrice. And so Peter was distressed and troubled that Jesus asked him the same question thrice.

Let us reflect on the Gospel passage.

On the third Sunday of Easter, the Gospel narrates that Peter and his companions went fishing by the lake of Tiberias. But they caught nothing all night. Then by dawn Jesus appears to them for the third time after His resurrection. But the disciples did not recognize the risen Lord.

Like in the previous miracle of the big catch of fish in Lake Gennesaret, Jesus again performed a miracle of another big catch of fish, and only then that the disciples realize it was Jesus with them.

At the end of the Gospel narrative, there was a conversation between Jesus and Peter, possibly a slightly uncomfortable one on Peter's part.  Because Jesus asks Peter "Do you love me?" three times, and Peter was distressed.

But Jesus was really rehabilitating Peter as the leader of the apostles in asking him a threefold confession of love to make up for his threefold denial at the passion. For Jesus will be giving Peter the important mission to prove his love for our Lord: "Feed my lambs!', "Tend my sheep!"

In the Gospel incident today, Jesus has challenged Peter to abandon his work as fisherman for the greater task of shepherding God's people, the Church.

In fulfilling Peter's mission, Jesus also predicted the kind of death that Peter will suffer for our Lord's sake: "... you will stretch our your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go."  And the Lord's prediction was fulfilled when Peter died a martyr, crucified upside down on a cross on the Vatican hill.

Then comes the fateful last word of today's Gospel reading, which is addressed not just to Peter but to all of us down the ages who wish to serve the Lord, the invitation to discipleship: "Follow me."

Like Peter, the Lord also calls each one of us, even in our weaknesses, sinfulness and failings, to love Him above all else. But loving Jesus entails caring for the people our Lord loves. Loving Jesus means embracing our Lord's mission of proclaiming God's kingdom on earth and becoming witnesses of God's love by caring for others, especially the poor and marginalized members of our society.  Loving Jesus means trusting our Lord completely with our hearts and life for the sake of His kingdom.

This is a timely message in choosing our leaders comes election day this month. We must choose leaders who can lead us, not only through our journey in this world, but more importantly our journey safely to our heavenly home. For we are but a pilgrim people while on earth.

In sum, "Follow me" is our Easter invitation from our risen Lord Jesus Christ, to cast our nets at the other side of the boat where an abundance of fish awaits us, so that we can take care of the Lord's flock entrusted to our mission.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!