I am the Good Shepherd.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Good Shepherd Sunday

25 April 2021 

 

First Reading:  ACTS 4:8-12

Responsorial Psalm:  PS 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

Second Reading:  1 JN 3:1-2

Gospel:  JN 10:11-18

 

Reflection

By: Fely C. Santiago

 

"A good shepherd lays down his life  for the sheep."

 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. He knows each and every one of us. And He already laid down His life for us, His sheep. That's how much God loves us. He sent us His Son to save us from our sins. Sheep are mentioned more than 200 times in the Bible, more than any other animal. Sheep are important sources of wool, milk, and meat, and throughout the Bible, sheep served as symbol of God's people. Jesus is portrayed as the shepherd of His chosen flock in the prophetic words of Isaiah and Ezekiel, and most famously in the 23rd Psalm, all in which belongs to the Good Shepherd.

 

Sheep are followers. And as the sheep of our Good Shepherd, Jesus, we ought to follow Him closely so we don't get lost. Following isn't something sheep have to think—about it's an instinct. Sheep remember faces. They recognized faces of other sheep and even of humans who work with them regularly. They are almost human, because sheep remember who treats them well—and even more, they remember who handles them harshly. Sheep find safety in numbers, and when grazing, sheep will keep at least 4-5 other sheep in view. They are very social and extroverted animals, for they do not do well alone, and they value supporting each other by sticking together at all costs. A lost sheep is critical because they do not do well alone. And Jesus cares that we do not get lost from His gaze because without Jesus our life will surely be a mess and empty.

Jesus is the true shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd who was willing to die for those who put their faith in Him. Any other person  who claims to be the true shepherd is a robber or a thief, for they are a false shepherd. Imagine a world where people do not expect to be served but are all eager to serve and care for one another! Jesus is the Good Shepherd who cares, watches, and protects those who believe in Him. This is a wonderful message for anyone who seeks peace with God.

To be in a Lord's flock is to be in a life-changing, transformative relationship with the Lord. To know the Lord our Good Shepherd is to see our life changed by that very relationship. It is to know the voice of Jesus and be able to distinguish it from others, so that in all things God may be glorified.

Let me close with these beautiful verses from Psalm 23:

The LORD is my shepherd;

I have everything I need

He lets me rest in fields of green grass

and leads me to quiet pools of water

He gives me new strength

He guides me in the right paths as He has promised

Even if I go through the deepest darkness

I will not be afraid Lord for You are with me

Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me

You prepare a banquet for me where all my enemies can see me

You welcome me as an honored guest and fill my cup to the brim

I know that Your goodness and love will be with me all my life

And your house will be my home as long as I live.

Prayer

 

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Good Shepherd who will always be there to guide and protect us. Even if we face the greatest trials and pain and suffering, we know You will always be there to carry us and go through our dark valley. Give us the grace Lord to remain steadfast and increase our faith, hope, and trust in You. Help us to continue to love and serve You in others especially during this pandemic. All this I pray, in Your Mighty Name. Amen.

 

 

 

The Good Shepherd's Herd

Fourth Sunday of Easter

03 May 2020

First reading                                                                        Acts 2:14, 36-41
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. . . Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.”
And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Second reading                                                        1 Peter 2:20-25

If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel                                                                     John 10:1-10

Jesus said to his disciples, “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go 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 Gary Tulabut

Are you granting the front liners’ simple requests from us?

What are they?

Staying at home. And along with it, social distancing, wearing face mask, and washing of hands. These are very basic, aren’t they?

Just stay home and you help save lives. If you have something else to give, better. But even if we cooperate by just staying home, it is already a big help.

You don’t have to sacrifice like the front liners to save lives. Just stay at home.

But why can’t everybody do it? I hope you can. And I hope you do.

If you do, what can you say about those who do not follow the rules? Are you annoyed with them? Irritated even?

You know what, at home, only my younger sister has a quarantine pass. When she goes out to buy necessities,  she is all wrapped with extra clothes, complete with gloves, face mask and goggles. And she follows social distancing.

When she comes back home, we almost shower her with disinfectant alcohol. Then, her extra outer clothing goes straight to the washing machine. All the goods she buys are disinfected. We even wash fruits and vegetables with soap. And if we buy readily cooked food, we heat them again before consuming.

But look at what others do. They roam around as long as they can keep away from barangay officials and the police. Some gossip. Others gamble. Others drink alcoholic beverage. As if nothing serious is happening.

Worst, I heard from the news, there were some who just received amelioration and used the money for drugs.

But then, of course, there are those who really have nothing. They lost their jobs. Some are “no-work, no-pay” like me. Vendors cannot sell. Drivers are banned from transporting people. They don’t know where to get rice for the day. No money to buy medicine for mom and dad who are both seniors. And there are many other sad stories you will see on the news.

How can we tell them, “Stubborn! Hard-headed!”? Simple things you cannot do. Right?

Today in the second reading, St. Peter said in his first letter, “If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.” (1 Peter 2:20)

St. Paul said to the Galatians, “Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

You keep on doing the right things, but it seems nothing is happening?

Don’t give up. Just continue doing good even if the rest do not mind at all. Following the government, especially in times like these, shows what kind of sheep we are. Are we part of the good sheep, or are we the black sheep?

In his letter to the Romans, St Paul said,” Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.

If you are among the privileged (those who have enough), these are the right times to obey the authorities, no matter what your political affiliations are. Don’t be a black sheep; be a good one.

And if you are more than privileged (you have more than enough), then why not be a shepherd to others and show that you really are part of the herd of the Good Shepherd?

Prayer

Father, forgive us for our stubbornness. Help us to be more considerate, compassionate and obedient for the sake of many. We continue to pray, please put an end to COVID-19 and grant complete and immediate healing to Your people. In Jesus' Name, we pray. Amen.

Life to the Full

Fourth

 Sunday of Easter

07 May 2017

First reading	Acts 2:14,36-41

On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’
  Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

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Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 22(23)

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Second reading	1 Peter 2:20-25

The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty.

  This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel Acclamation	Jn10:14

Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!

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Gospel	John 10:1-10

Jesus said:

  ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’

  Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.

  So Jesus spoke to them again:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

I am the gate of the sheepfold.

All others who have come

are thieves and brigands;

but the sheep took no notice of them.

I am the gate.

Anyone who enters through me will be safe:

he will go freely in and out

and be sure of finding pasture.

The thief comes

only to steal and kill and destroy.

I have come

so that they may have life and have it to the full.’

Reflection

by Fely Santiago

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”

This is one of my favorite Bible verses where I draw strength whenever things do not happen as expected. I just hold on to God’s promises and just stay in faith. But what is life to the full? Or abundance? Is it just about having all the money in the world? When we speak of abundance it’s not just about the money. Yes money is part of it because we cannot help others if we have no money but is not everything.

In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks about Him being the Good Shepherd, being the door of the sheepfold. And the Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. If we truly understand it, this is what living life to the full means. To be willing to die to ourselves daily, carry our cross to love others. And when you experience this kind of love, it brings a lot of fulfillment because we fill our life caring for and sharing with others.

And where do we draw our strength so we can live life to the full? It is living a life with Jesus. Without Him, we can do nothing. We need to listen to the Good Shepherd in our prayers, worship and study of His word so we can have a fruitful life. It is like a pail of water that is filled to overflowing because it is aligned to the faucet. The faucet is God and the water are the blessings.

Today and every moment of our life, let us set our mind and heart in seeking the Lord and truly we can live and enjoy the abundant life He has in store for us! God wants us to live an abundant life. In Jeremiah 29:11 is another promise. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future!” God wants us to enjoy the fullness of the earth and experience His goodness everywhere we go.

It is easy for some people to get stuck in a rut, doing the same things over and over again all the time. To experience the abundance of life that God has prepared for us we need to die to ourselves, to our comfort zone and and go to the door that God has opened for us outside of our comfort zone! Outside our comfort zone is our courage zone. We need to take some risks in loving and serving others. Let us open ourselves to meet new people, new experiences and new ideas and make a room for God to reveal Himself to us and work in different ways in our life. When we go to our courage zone,  we stretch ourselves, we increase our abilities and we increase our influence in the world around us.

Today, I can say that I am living my life to the full making full use of the gift that God has given me. I finally found my vocation and purpose in helping people, transforming their lives. And I am so blessed in all areas of my life. That is why I cannot help but pay forward for the abundant life God has given me – my holy, happy, healthy, wealthy and worthy family, my spiritual community, my best friends, my business and mission, my travels. God is great!

This week make the decision to live a full life. Explore something new. Take a different route from home to work. Be open to meet new people who might be able to lead you to your breakthrough. Let God direct and broaden your horizons. Follow the door that God opened for you for new opportunities, for you to grow and stretch so you can live the full, satisfied, fulfilling life the Lord has in store for you!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for the being the source of our life! You are our loving and BIG God, We open our heart and mind to You today. Thank You for Your Hand of blessing that is leading and guiding us. Give us courage to step out of our comfort zone, blessings others so we can experience the full life You have for us in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

The World's Powerful Words

First Reading: Acts 4:8-12

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said:

“Leaders of the people and elders: If we are being examined today about a good deed done to a cripple, namely, by what means he was saved, then all of you and all the people of Israel should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. He is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2

Beloved:

See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

Gospel: John 10:11-18

Jesus said:

“I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.This command I have received from my Father.”

Reflection
By Bernard M. Borja

There are so many powerful two to three word sentences that when used, can either move the world around, or stun it for a while. I have selected some of those to make us aware of it's sweet (or alarming) effect to ourselves.

1. Thank you

It is one of the most beautiful and sweet sounding sentences one can say, hear, or read. It is an expression of gratitude that puts a smile on one's face especially when said sincerely.

2. I love you

Probably the most sweetest, meaningful, and joy-filled sentence in the world especially when said with all your heart. The sentence has made the world stopped and then move around again like a roller coaster ride. It is more than giving the emotion to another but also to mean every little thing to the person. Life itself is a greatest manifestation of this powerful sentence.

3. I'm sorry

This is another way of saying "I love you" or "Forgive me" to ease the hurt one probably experienced because of love itself. It is also a modified phrase for "You win" or "I don't want to argue any more" or one of the most common behind these words, "Let's shut up and end this fight now." Maybe a conversation ender but one of the most beautiful things to say because after that, one can say "I love you" and believe in it once again.

4. OK

Two letters, one word. Whenever you exchange messages through text or chat, this is one of the most common conversation enders where one may feel that he/she has the responsibility to get the conversation on track again. It's like passing the ball to the person and wait for him/her to be frustrated in thinking about what to reply just so it would not be awkward to stop chatting and just end it. Or he/she can resort to the most famous ones, "hahaha", "hehehe", or just LOL (sometimes with a Z), with the emoticons or smileys.

This can also be a dead end when in the middle of the argument of a couple, the woman (probably the most common user of this and I don't mean to be judgmental) says this and keeps quiet. No choice for a man but to say the number 3 powerful sentence.

5. Try again

In life, there are no dead ends. In an argument, if a couple reaches a dead end, either party can try again and start another argument, which may also probably lead to another dead end, and then try again. But most of the time this is a great reminder to us to never give up in life. Especially when you're hit with "OK" after you explain a lot about your side of argument.

6. Let go

Sometimes you need to let go of good things for you to be open to receive the better ones. There are times in life when after getting up and trying again for so many times, we may realize it's time to let go. But this does not always mean permanent. Yes there are situations that this must lead to "Goodbye" but if there are still good things worth fighting for, this sentence may not be an option. Letting go would sometimes mean "I accept" and try to fix everything again.

7. I can/I can't

Very powerful words. If a person says "I can", he/she is right. And when a person says "I can't", he/she is also right. One example is, "I can let go because I've had enough" or "I can't let go because I still want to try again".

8. Move on

The next best thing after everything bad that has happened. Whether it would result to trying again and believing in love once more, or receiving a "Hu u?" (another powerful phrase) message after letting go, moving on is one of the most beautiful gifts we can give to ourselves.

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Of all those very short powerful sentences or phrases, I would like to emphasize on this:

"I am..."

Jesus relentlessly said, "I am the good shepherd." to reveal a glimpse of His mission here on earth which was commanded by Our Father. This phrase was also used by Our Father when He revealed Himself to Moses. I realized that these words are so powerful that it expresses conviction on who a person is and how he/she know himself/herself well. Jesus knows His mission very well and He is very much willing to lay down His life for the sheep.

This made me ask myself, "Do I really know what my mission is? Am I really willing to lay down my life for what God has commanded me to do?"

We often say powerful words and phrases in our life but when it comes to knowing our mission, we stutter. Maybe one of the reasons is we doubt our abilities. Maybe we connect our capacities to our past failures. But for us to know well ourselves and our mission, we need to let go of these past failures and move on. We must always say "I can" because through Christ, we are strengthened. Trying again is one of the best things that we can do for us to know better of ourselves. We should not settle for OK because like Jesus, we are sent here to lead a part of the flock. Whenever we fall, we can always get up and say to God that we are sorry. Because one of the reasons why we fall is we do not follow the lead of the Good Shepherd.

God sent us here on earth for a mission to help in gathering the flock for the Shepherd. It is His love that we received this command and it is the same love that guides us to fulfill it.

Prayer 

Father, Thank you for Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd, because He has laid down His life for us. Thank you for giving us a part to fulfill on this mission of the Good Shepherd. Through His lead and guidance, we will be able to know specifically our part in this mission and also ourselves to fulfill it according to the purpose You have given us. We are offering ourselves to You so that we may also lay down our life to gather the flock of the Good Shepherd. This we pray in Jesus' name, Amen.

The Good Shepherd

First Reading: Jer 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD. Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The LORD our justice."

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6

Second Reading: Eph 2:13-18

Brothers and sisters:

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims, that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross, putting that enmity to death by it. He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

Gospel Mk 6:30-34

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, " Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.

When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

Reflection

By Beth Eguia

Shepherding is one of the oldest occupations beginning some 6,000 years ago in Asia Minor. The duty of shepherds was to keep their flock intact and protect it from wolves and other predators. The shepherd was also to supervise the migration of the flock and ensured they made it to market areas in time for shearing.


Each of us is called to be a shepherd for others. It could be like a supervisor guiding his team on how to perform their tasks or maybe a parent who ensures his child is protected and secure from harm and danger. God saw how bad shepherds (i.e. kings, high priests, leaders, etc.) misguided His people leading them to sin and evil deeds. But because of His love for mankind, He sent prophets. The greatest of all He did was sending His Son Jesus Christ for us. God sees the empty space that occupies the heart of every man. He felt the longing we need to be loved, to be understood, to be protected and be secured. Jesus gave us the assurance that He will be there for us at all times. All we need to do is seek Him.

“People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. When He disembarked and saw the vast crowd, His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things.”

We can be a good shepherd like Jesus. How? We have to completely entrust everything to God. No matter how sinful we had been, God knew we have positive strengths within us and He wanted to tap us on that. We heard of great preachers like Mike Velarde and Bo Sanchez who were once ordinary and sinful individuals but who had admitted their faults and have let God handle their lives. Lo and behold! Now how many sheep have they led back to God? We should also be an example for others. Practice what we preach. We should also know how to stop and take rest. Our mind and body require nourishment. We need re-fueling. This can only be done by having a silent moment, to reflect and ask for His guidance.

Prayer

Dear God, teach us to be a good shepherd like You. Oftentimes, we neglect this opportunity to serve others. May we be open to Your calling, accept and live as an example for others. Amen.