October 2020 - Psalm 23

 Psalm 23: The Lord Is My Shepherd (ESV)

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the 

valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

One of my favorite Psalms is Psalm 23 (22 in some translations). Many years ago, I was introduced to it by my teacher in a public elementary school. Our teacher began the day with our saluting the flag and then reciting Psalm 23 together. It has remained a source of inspiration and comfort throughout my life.

While I ministered in the Navajo Nation, I was blessed with the privilege of observing shepherds caring for their sheep. I also remember one shepherdess sharing that she was getting older and did not know how much longer she could care for her beloved sheep. She was discerning which one of her family members to whom she would entrust the care of the sheep when she could no longer give them the love and attention they needed. Her concern was that she choose one who would become a good shepherd or shepherdess who would be watchful, patient, and have a special, caring relationship with each individual animal.

Sheep are very dependent on their shepherds and sheepdogs (sometimes llamas) because of their limitations.  Sheepdogs, e.g., Australian Shepherd dogs, are very intelligent. I have observed them helping the sheep cross a road safely.

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Psalm 23 is believed to have been authored by David around 1000 B.C.  Let us pause to listen carefully to the words:

The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want He makes me lie down in green pastures. The shepherd seeks out good pastures for the sheep to graze and leads them there. 

He leads me beside still waters. Since sheep are easily frightened, the shepherd avoids loud waterfalls and finds quiet waters so they can drink peacefully. He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Then, the psalmist says the Lord also guides him in the ways of “righteousness” (goodness).  

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me; your rod and your staff. They comfort me. 

Some of the paths the sheep have to travel to be pastured are very dangerous.  There are steep mountains to climb and treacherous valleys, but the sheep are never alone.

The staff, like a cane with a rounded hook, is used by the shepherd to test the ground ahead of the sheep to see if it is secure. Sometimes the brush on the side of the mountains hides the danger of loose rocks and the edge of the cliffs.  The shepherd guides the sheep away from the precipices. However, sometimes a wandering sheep loses its way and becomes caught in the brush or slips into a crevice. The shepherd can sometimes rescue the sheep, using the hook end of the staff. (Today, Bishops carry a staff to symbolize that they are to be shepherds of their flock.)

The rod, a thick stick or bunch of twigs, is used to ward off dangerous animals who might attempt to harm the sheep. It can also be used to push back thick brush in the pathway: the rod and the staff help to make the sheep feel safe. The shepherd provides a safe and pleasant pasture for the sheep by watching for dangerous animals and being prepared to get rid of them so the sheep can graze peacefully.

You anoint my head with oil;

Unlike some animals, the sheep cannot rid themselves of insects who might attack their heads, so the shepherds rub their heads with oils that ward off insects.

My cup overflows.

The sheep’s hearts are overflowing with happiness.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

Having such a loving and caring Shepherd as the Lord, he trusts that he will be cared for in this life.

And I shall “dwell” in the house of the Lord forever.

When called to his heavenly home, he exclaims that he will live joyfully with his Shepherd Lord forever.

Comments:

Stephanie Morris, ASBS, Ph.D. Historian, Certified Archivist, Emerita 

The Infant King was first manifested to shepherds. Shepherds were not the elite of Jewish society. They worked outdoors and their duties were 24/7 - sheep needed care every day. No matter our own status, each of us is called to be a shepherd. We can guard any soul entrusted to us, guiding them to a closer relationship with God. We can guide anyone we meet to a more joyful, peaceful relationship with God. This is a 24/7 call - we never know when the Holy Spirit might prompt us to do something - large or small - for someone.

 

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

Psalm 23 has been a source of comfort to me since I was a child. My parents divorced when I was eight-years old; my world was turned upside down. I had to get used to living without my dad and shortly thereafter, adjust to living with a stepfather. The situation left me very frightened.  I would close my eyes and call to mind the gentleness of the shepherd and pretend I was the sheep he placed on his shoulders. It brought me great peace. That same meditation comforts me today as I struggle to grasp the fragile reality of our world. I find myself distressed over the lack of leadership across the globe, the growing violence, shattered economy, crushed dreams and the plight of so many displaced people. I am saddened beyond words at the fear (of Covid 19) that is paralyzing countless people, contributing to anxiety and depression and the loss of bonds of connection and spiritual nourishment. This past weekend I was on a retreat which annually welcomes three hundred participants, the majority of whom have been coming for decades. This year the count was under thirty. Two hundred, seventy women missed powerful messages of God’s tender love, compassion and mercy, and the opportunities to relax, reset and receive the dynamic inspiration that is palpable in such a Spirit-filled environment. 

I believe that the Good Shepherd is calling us to co-shepherd our fellow “sheeples” during these turbulent times. In spite of masking up, we need to speak out of the Presence of God and reach out with words of encouragement and hope. The Presence of God is invisible as is the virus. Yet, the media sustains fear by bombarding the public with details of the virus. It is a challenge to turn off the media info etched in our heads long enough to enter into a quiet place to pray and find rest and hear the gentle whispering of the Holy Spirit to soothe our troubled souls. We need to communicate the message of faith by focusing on and expressing the love, Presence and power of God. Faith drives out fear. The image of the Good Shepherd as described in Psalm 23 is a very effective meditation to foster peace, restore calm and trust in God’s loving Providence.

Our Compassionate Shepherd - July 22, 2018

The Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Reading I:  Jeremiah 23: 1-6

Psalm:  23

Reading I:  Ephesians 2: 13-18

Gospel:  Mark 6: 30-34


In today’s Gospel, we observe our compassionate Shepherd, Jesus, caring both for his apostles who had just returned from preaching the Good News and the people who were following them. Realizing the how exhausted and hungry the apostles were, Jesus invited them to “come apart and rest a while.” 

They attempted to remove themselves from the crowds by going off in a boat. However, the crowds managed to find out where they were going and traveled on foot to join them. Jesus’ concern also extended to these people who were longing for the Good News being given to them. Jesus saw them in need of hope and care so as tired as He was, He Himself, began to teach them.

Jesus was truly a compassionate shepherd. While some of us have a sense of what was involved in shepherding here in the United States in modern times, it is not exactly the way shepherding was done in Jesus’ time and place.

The late Archbishop Joseph Cassidy of Tuam, Ireland, in his book, These Might Help points out some special aspects of shepherding from the time of Jesus. First, the shepherd did not just check on the sheep morning and evening, leaving them in the care of dogs or llamas. They stayed with them all day, and then, at night, brought them into a sheepfold to protect them from animals who might attack and kill them. Often the shepherd would sleep at the door of the enclosure to make sure no predator would sneak into the sheepfold.

Another unique factor is that instead of driving the sheep ahead of them, the shepherd would lead them. He would go ahead of them to check for safety, etc. The cane-like stick he carried would be used to test the ground ahead to make sure it was stable so that the sheep would not fall down a mountain or into a crevice. The hook at the end was to rescue the sheep if they were falling or stuck. In other words, it was for their safety, a sign that they were being cared for by the shepherd. Today, our bishops carry a similar item called a “crosier,” symbolizing their roles as shepherds of the people in their dioceses.

Finally, the shepherds gave each sheep a name and knew each one as an individual with unique personalities and needs. So, our Good Shepherd relates to each one of us as unique individual creations of a loving God.

 This Week’s Reflection:  

How blessed we are that Jesus has an intimate knowledge of each one of us!
How blessed we are that we have a God who understands us completely!
How blessed we are to have a God of compassion, feeling deeply with us!
  
What an awesome God have we !!!  How greatly blessed are we!!!
Praise the Lord!  Praise his Holy Name! 

Spanish Translation of Reflection Above...

Our Compassionate Shepherd

En el Evangelio de hoy, observamos a nuestro compasivo Pastor, Jesús,
que se preocupa por sus apóstoles que acaban de regresar de predicar las Buenas Nuevas y las personas que los seguían. Al darse cuenta de cuán agotados y hambrientos estaban los apóstoles, Jesús los invitó a “apartarse y descansar
un rato”.

Intentaron alejarse de la multitud yendo en un bote. Sin embargo, las
multitudes lograron averiguar a dónde iban y viajaron a pie para unirse a ellos.
La preocupación de Jesús también se extendió a estas personas que anhelaban
que se les diera la Buena Noticia. Jesús los vio necesitado de esperanza y cuidado, tan cansado como Él, Él mismo, comenzó a enseñarles. Jesús fue verdaderamente un pastor compasivo. Mientras que algunos de nosotros tenemos un sentido de lo que estaba involucrado en el pastoreo aquí en los Estados Unidos en los tiempos modernos, no es exactamente la forma en que se hizo el pastoreo en el tiempo y el lugar de Jesús.

El difunto arzobispo Joseph Cassidy de Tuam, Ireland, en su libro, These Might Help, señala algunos aspectos especiales del pastoreo desde el tiempo de Jesús. Primero, el pastor no se limitó a controlar a las ovejas por la mañana y por la noche, dejándolas al cuidado de perros o llamas. Se quedaron con ellos todo el día, y luego, por la noche, los llevaron a un redil para protegerlos de los animales que podrían atacarlos y matarlos. A menudo, el pastor dormía en la puerta del recinto para asegurarse de que ningún depredador se colaría en el redil.

Otro factor único es que en vez de conducir a las ovejas delante de ellas, el pastor las guiaba. Él iría delante de ellos para verificar la seguridad, etc. El bastón como bastón que llevaba se usaría para probar el terreno que se encuentra delante para asegurarse de que era estable, de modo que las ovejas no cayeran por una montaña o en una grieta. El gancho al final era rescatar a las ovejas si se caían o se atascaban. En otras palabras, era por su seguridad, una señal de que estaban siendo cuidados por el pastor. Hoy, nuestros obispos llevan un artículo similar llamado “báculo”, que simboliza sus roles como pastores de las personas en sus diócesis.

Finalmente, los pastores le dieron un nombre a cada oveja y conocieron a cada una como un individuo con personalidades y necesidades únicas. Entonces, nuestro Buen Pastor se relaciona con cada uno de nosotros como creaciones individuales únicas de un Dios amoroso.

 Reflexión de esta semana:

  

¡Cuán bendecidos somos porque Jesús tiene un conocimiento
íntimo de cada uno de nosotros!

¡Qué bendecidos somos porque tenemos un
Dios que nos comprende por completo!

¡Cuán afortunados somos de tener un Dios de compasión,
sintiéndonos profundamente con nosotros!

¡Qué Dios tan maravilloso tenemos nosotros!
¡Cuán bendecidos somos!

                                       

¡Alabado sea el Señor! ¡Alabado sea su Santo Nombre!

I Am the Good Shepherd - April 22, 2018

The Fourth Sunday of Easter  -  Year B

Reading I:   Acts 4:8-12

Psalm:  118

Reading II:  1 John 3:1-2

Gospel:  John 10: 11-18


Our beautiful image of Jesus as our Shepherd has many aspects for reflection. We relish the very close relationship
between the sheep and the shepherd.
The sheep depend on their shepherd
for their food, their comfort and
their safety.

Unlike many other animals, the sheep are not likely to be able to survive on their own. Therefore, the shepherd leads the sheep to green pastures for grazing and calm waters to quench their thirst. Since sheep are not flexible enough to rid themselves of insects which attack their heads, the shepherd covers the heads of the sheep with oil to protect them.

When the sheep are being led along the sides of mountains, there is the danger that they will fall over the edge. The shepherd goes ahead of them tapping the grounds  to make sure they are secure before allowing the sheep to walk over them. In spite of this, sometimes a wandering sheep will get caught in bushes or go too close to the edge and fall over. The staff that the shepherd carries has a hook on the end which the shepherd can use to rescue a sheep that is in trouble. With all the care required, the sheep are closely connected to the shepherd.

Finally, the sheep are the prey of many animals, so the shepherd carries a rod (club) to ward off their attackers. In the evening, they are corralled and the shepherd watches over them, sometimes laying across the door of the corral to prevent anyone's stealing or harming the sheep. The shepherd who owns the sheep is willing to give up his life to save them.

Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd. We belong to Him and because of His close relationship with us, He willingly gave up His life for us.

 In his book, Who Is Christ?, Anthony Padovano wrote:

We are saved not by the physical death of Jesus, but by the absoluteness of a love which did not count death too high a price.

 Reflection Question:   When Peter declared his love for Jesus, Jesus asked him to feed His lambs and sheep. Is there a lamb or sheep that you think the Lord is asking you to care for in a special way?

Spanish Translation of Reflection Above...

Soy el Buen Pastor

Nuestra bella imagen de Jesús como nuestro Pastor tiene muchos aspectos para la reflexión. Disfrutamos de la relación muy estrecha entre las ovejas y el pastor. Las ovejas dependen de su pastor para su alimento, su comodidad y su seguridad.

A diferencia de muchos otros animales, es poco probable que las ovejas puedan sobrevivir por sí mismas. Por lo tanto, el pastor lleva a las ovejas a pastos verdes para pastoreo y aguas tranquilas para saciar su sed. Como las ovejas no son lo suficientemente flexibles como para librarse de los insectos que atacan sus cabezas, el pastor cubre las cabezas de las ovejas con aceite para protegerlas.

Cuando las ovejas son conducidas a lo largo de los lados de las montañas, existe el peligro de que caigan por el borde. El pastor va delante de ellos tocando los terrenos para asegurarse de que están seguros antes de permitir que las ovejas pasen por encima de ellos. A pesar de esto, a veces una oveja vagabunda queda atrapada en los arbustos o se acerca demasiado al borde y se cae. El bastón que lleva el pastor tiene un gancho en el extremo que el pastor puede usar para rescatar a una oveja que está en problemas. Con todo el cuidado requerido, las ovejas están estrechamente conectadas con el pastor.

Finalmente, las ovejas son presa de muchos animales, por lo que el pastor lleva una vara (bastón) para protegerse de sus atacantes. Por la noche, están acorralados y el pastor los vigila, a veces cruzando la puerta del corral para evitar que alguien robe o dañe a las ovejas. El pastor que posee la oveja está dispuesto a renunciar a su vida para salvarlos.

Jesús se describe a sí mismo como el Buen Pastor.  Le pertenecemos a Él y debido a su estrecha relación con nosotros, voluntariamente entregó su vida por nosotros.

En su libro,  ¿Quién es Cristo?, Anthonio Padovano escribió:

Somos salvados no por la muerte física de Jesús, pero por lo absoluto muerte demasiado alto precio de un amor que no cuenta.

 Pregunta de reflexión:    Cuando Pedro declaró su amor por Jesús, Jesús le pidió que le diera de comer a sus corderos y ovejas. ¿Hay un cordero u oveja que piensas que el Señor te está pidiendo que cuides de una manera especial?

The True Shepherd - May 7, 2017

The Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year A

Reading I:  ACTS 2: 14a, 36-41

Psalm:  23

Reading II: 1 Pt. 2: 20b-25

Gospel: Jn 10:1-10


One time during a visit with cousins in New Hampshire, I had the privilege of seeing the famous Stone Face etched on the side of one of the White Mountains. This noble face was the inspiration behind Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famous story: The Great Stone Face. 

In Hawthorne’s story, a young boy named Ernest grows up in the town at the foot of the mountain. Each day, Ernest would study the face and, with other townsfolk, long for the day when, as was predicted, a man would come to the town and help the people. Several times strangers came, and the townsfolk hoped that HE would be “the one,” only to be disappointed.  Finally, when Ernest was a young man, someone noticed the resemblance he had to the Great Stone Face. All those years of observing the image in weather, fair and fowl, had produced a living image in Ernest.

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus describing for us a true shepherd whose voice his sheep will recognize and follow. He contrasts this with the way that sheep respond to strangers. There is a strong loving relationship between the good shepherd and his sheep which leads to trust. The sheep do not listen to the strangers.

Jesus, in John 14:6, depicts the true shepherd to be followed when He says that He is “the way, the truth, and the life.” He tells the disciples that no one goes to the Father except through Him. It is by imitating Jesus that we follow Him.

Our practice of contemplating Jesus in the Gospels can, by God’s
grace, bring about in us a likeness to our Savior. Each time we read a passage, we are struck by the way He relates to His Father, other people, and the many challenges in His life on earth. We hear
other people’s reactions to Him. We see Him going about doing good. We observe Him confronting injustice. We witness his acceptance of suffering. Finally, we rejoice in His resurrection and His promise that we, too, will be raised up by His power.

Let us follow the Lord by faithfully studying Him in the Sacred Scriptures and following Him by imitation. As a student of the Hebrew Scriptures, Jesus acted justly, loved tenderly, and walked humbly with God, His Father. By the grace of  God, let us do the same!

Note: After many years of shoring up the Great Stone Face, the town could no longer continue the expensive efforts to preserve the
landmark, so one can only see pictures now.

Spanish Translation of Reflection Above...

El Verdadero Pastor

Una vez durante una visita con primos en New Hampshire, tuve el privilegio de ver el famoso Stone Face grabado al lado de una de las Montañas Blancas. Esta noble cara fue la inspiración detrás de la famosa historia de Nathaniel Hawthorne: The Great Stone Face. En la historia de Hawthorne, un joven llamado Ernest crece en la ciudad al pie de la montaña. Cada día, Ernesto estudiaba el rostro y, con otros pueblos, anhelaba el día en que, como se predijo, un hombre vendría a la ciudad y ayudaría al pueblo. Varias veces llegaron extraños, y los vecinos esperaban que él fuera "el único", sólo para estar decepcionado. Finalmente, cuando Ernest era un hombre joven, alguien notó la semejanza que tenía con la Gran Cara de Piedra. Todos esos años de observación de la imagen en tiempo, feria y aves, habían producido una imagen viva en Ernest. En el Evangelio de hoy, oímos a Jesús describir para nosotros un verdadero pastor cuya voz sus ovejas reconocerán y seguirán. Él contrasta esto con la manera en que las ovejas responden a los extraños. Hay una fuerte relación amorosa entre el buen pastor y sus ovejas que lleva a la confianza. Las ovejas no escuchan a los extraños. Jesús, en Juan 14: 6, describe al verdadero pastor que debe ser seguido cuando dice que Él es “el camino, la verdad y la vida”. Él dice a los discípulos que nadie va al Padre sino por medio de Él. Es imitando a Jesús que lo seguimos. Nuestra práctica de contemplar a Jesús en los Evangelios puede, Gracia, trae en nosotros una semejanza a nuestro Salvador. Cada vez que leemos un pasaje, estamos impresionados por la manera en que Él se relaciona con Su Padre, con otras personas y con los muchos desafíos en Su vida en la tierra. Escuchamos Las reacciones de otras personas a Él. Lo vemos haciendo el bien. Lo observamos enfrentándolo a la injusticia. Presenciamos su aceptación del sufrimiento. Finalmente, nos regocijamos en Su resurrección y Su promesa de que nosotros también seremos resucitados por Su poder. Sigamos al Señor estudiándolo fielmente en las Sagradas Escrituras y siguiéndolo por imitación. Como estudiante de las Escrituras Hebreas, Jesús actuó justamente, amó tiernamente y caminó humildemente con Dios, Su Padre. ¡Por la gracia de Dios, hagamos lo mismo! Nota: Después de muchos años de apuntalar el Gran Rostro de Piedra, la ciudad ya no pudo continuar los caros esfuerzos para preservar la Punto de referencia, por lo que sólo se pueden ver fotos ahora

August 21, 2016 - God Is Love

The Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C

Reading I:  Isaiah 66:18-21
Response:  Psalm 117:12
Reading II:  Hebrews 12: 5-7, 11-13
Gospel:  Luke 13: 22-30    

While Jesus was teaching, someone asked him “Lord, will only a few people be saved?”  His answer was, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate.’ [This refers to a narrow passageway in the mountains range through which the shepherds must drive their sheep. These ways can be dangerous and some sheep do not make it through.] Then, Jesus tells a parable which may surprise us!!!

The parable in today’s Gospel seems like a contradiction to the one on the 17th Sunday in which a man wanting to borrow bread is knocking on the door of his friend at midnight. Because of the man’s persistence, the friend senses that this is probably an emergency. Also, because of his friendship he is willing to possibly awaken the whole family in order to respond to the man’s needs. [It could well be that they lived in a one-room home and slept on sheepskins like our Southwestern Navajos did. Even today, some live in the octagon-shaped hogans with only a fireplace in the center.]

On the other hand, in today’s parable — a story to teach a lesson,  Jesus says that the one knocking on the door will call out, ‘Lord open the door for us.’  Since there has been no prior relationship, the master of the house will say in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from.’ The response will be, ‘We ate and drank in your company, and you taught on our streets.’ The master will repeat ‘I do not know where you are from. Depart from me you evildoers!’ Jesus compares this with the situation when we knock on the door to heaven. If we have not developed a friendship with the Lord and lived a life of love for his children, we will not experience heaven. There will be ‘wailing and grinding of teeth’ when we see others in the Kingdom of God and we ourselves are outside.

This brings up a question about God’s goodness...How can a merciful and loving God send someone to hell for all eternity? 

Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI, addresses the question in the following way:
God, Jesus tells us, doesn’t judge anyone. We judge ourselves. God doesn’t create hell and God doesn’t send anyone to hell. But that does not mean that hell doesn’t exist and that it isn’t a possibility for us. Here, in essence, is how Jesus explains this:

God sends his life [love] into the world and we can choose that life or reject it.  We judge
ourselves in making that choice. If we choose life, we are ultimately choosing heaven. If we reject life we live outside of life and that is ultimately hell. But we make that choice, God doesn’t send us anywhere. Moreover, hell is not a positive punishment created by God to make us suffer. Hell is the absence of something, namely, living inside of the life [love] that’s offered to us.

Fr. Rolheiser goes on to say, “Hell is real, but it isn’t a positive punishment created by God to deal out justice or vengeance....Hell is the absence of life, of love, of forgiveness, of community.  We can end up there, outside of love and community, but that’s a choice we make if we, culpably, reject these as they are offered to us during our lifetime.”

The reason I have chosen the above picture to represent the entrance into heaven is based on the fact that people who have had an near-death experience often refer to being drawn by a beautiful white light.  Each of us tend to visualize Jesus according to our own race and nationality, so it is not possible to illustrate a universal Christ.

The human Jesus must have resembled the people of  his native land. In 1982, when I made a retreat in the Holy Land, I took pictures of  some children playing. I figured that, that was how the boy Jesus must have looked. Also, we were shown the type adobe homes in which the people lived. We even saw the caves which were used to shelter the animals.  It was likely that Jesus was born in such a cave.

I had never been in the Southwest before I went to teach at St. Catherine Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico in 1984. To my surprise I noted that the climate and land were similar to the Holy Land. The Native people had the tan skin and dark hair that I had seen there also. When I visited the Pueblo villages, I saw homes similar to the one’s in the Israel.

Later, when teaching at St. Michael Indian School and Dine College on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona, I was thrilled to see real shepherds. One of our Associates in Ganado was still caring for her sheep with great affection even into her old age. I was always attracted to the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. However, my experiences in the Southwest greatly strengthened my love for Jesus, our Loving Shepherd.

Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth and the life.”  Let us follow his way of love, and then we will not need to be concerned about eternity.

August 14, 2016 - I Am the Good Shepherd

   The Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C  

  Reading 1: Jeremiah 38: 4-6, 8-10

Response: Psalm 40

Reading 2: Hebrews 12:1-4
Gospel: Luke 12: 49-53

Painting by Del Parson

In today’s readings, we have two images presented: the image of a blazing fire and that of baptism. However, the well-loved picture of the Good Shepherd serves to illustrate both.


The fire Jesus wants to spread over the earth is the light of true knowledge of God.  Before the time of Jesus, people could deduce from nature the existence of an all-powerful creator. 

However, it took Jesus' coming in a human form to reveal that our God is a loving and forgiving God. Jesus said: He who sees me sees the Father. Jesus wants that understanding shared with all people. 

Fire also creates warmth which we associate with love. Jesus also wants us to share love with all people. That can be challenging at times, especially if one has been hurt by the person. However, “love” means wanting the good for others and helping them to attain it when we can. It doesn't mean that we have to “like” the person. “Love is a choice.”


The baptism which Jesus referred to was his death and resurrection. As the time to sacrifice His life for the salvation of souls was coming closer, He said: “...how great is my anguish until it is accomplished.” I hear both His desire to bring about salvation and also His human dread of the suffering He will experience. How heartbreaking it must have been to realize that not all will choose to benefit from His great sacrifice!


As we contemplate the image of the Good Shepherd, we see his love and protection of the sheep. He carries a club to ward off dangerous animals who might try to harm or kill the sheep. The shepherd also carries a staff whose hook enables him to rescue a sheep who has fallen into a crevice, a hole, a stream or has become stuck in mud or bushes. Day and night, the Shepherd watches over the sheep as they search for water and grasses over treacherous mountains and through dangerous valleys. 


In the picture above, the way this shepherd is carrying the stray, wounded sheep on his shoulders reminds us of Jesus’ carrying the cross for our salvation. He looks weary and is in pain, but he chooses to sacrifice his own comfort for the sake of the sheep.


The sheep and lambs themselves are wonderful animals. During their lifetimes, they provide wool to warm and protect against the elements. When food is needed, they allow themselves to be slaughtered so that others can live. It is so appropriate for us to also refer to Jesus as the “Lamb of God”.


The next time we hear the priest at Mass pray: “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,” let us respond with ever grateful hearts: “Have mercy on us” and “Grant us peace”.


Good Shepherd, may we listen to your voice and follow you wherever you lead, knowing that you remain with and watch over us always. Amen.