The Sheep and Shepherd

“ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.”

First Reading:  Acts 2:14, 36-41

          But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" And Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to him." And he testified with many other words and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

Psalm: Psalm  23:1-6

Second Reading: 1 Peter 2:20-25

          For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Gospel: John 10:1-10

          " Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers." This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Reflection
By Benj Santiago

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose; beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.”

When I feel fearful and lonesome, my favorite Psalm to reflect on is Psalm 23. I feel secured thinking that my Lord Jesus is my Shepherd. I google searched what a shepherd do and this is what I got. "A shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards herds of sheep. The word stems from an amalgam of sheep herder. It also means: One who cares for and guides a group of people, as a minister or teacher."

This song or psalm is attributed to David, a shepherd boy who had been used by God to defend Israel from the Philistine giant named Goliath. As a shepherd, David defended his flock from the attacking lion and bear. As a shepherd, he led the flock of sheep to the green pasture. Jesus, a carpenter, used the imagery of a shepherd and the Pharisees did not understand why he has to use the imagery of a “gate”.

I am a regular attendee of the PICC Feast being led by Bro Bo Sanchez. My whole family, my flock, go to the Feast every Sunday. I feel the Lord’s loving presence in the Feast. My whole family is being led and being fed with the Word and the Holy Eucharist. We are being blessed by Bro Bo Sanchez’ talks on wide ranging topic from practical spirituality to financial management. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Shepherd and He is using Bro Bo to be our shepherd and in turn, we also are sent to be the shepherd to our family and to the people we meet.

Every opportunity to serve and lead people is an opportunity to demonstrate the kind of love and concern our Lord, the Good Shepherd, has for us. We, as Christians are commissioned by Christ to be a good shepherd to others. We can be like David who defended his flock against the lion and the bear. It can be as simple as leading people to attend the Holy Mass or attend a prayer meeting to get their souls nourished. Or it can be a practical help like guiding them in finances, or family life. We can be a good shepherd to our co-employees by guiding them how to perform to the best of their abilities. In the church organizations, we can also be a good shepherd to our co-workers by leading them through imitating Jesus Christ.

In everything we do be it small or big, be it our job, our family activity or a social cause, let us imitate the Good Shepherd. Let us lead and protect all the people we care for. Let us be led by Jesus so that we can lead others too!

Prayer

Our loving and awesome Father, we thank You for giving us Your Son Jesus Christ to be our Good Shepherd. We thank You for giving Jesus to lead us into the green pastures and restful waters. We ask You Lord to make us like Jesus for others; faithfully and lovingly leading others ultimately to You. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.