The Challenge for today's Shephereds

April 25,2010

4th Sunday of Easter

Gospel: John 10:27-30

Good Shepherd Sunday

Celebration of the 47th world day of Prayer for Vocation

“Good Shepherd Sunday” derives its name from the tenth chapter of the gospel of John where Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd who lay downs life for the flock. Jesus’ self revelation is divided in three pericopes for use in the three cycle of the liturgy.Today’s gospel reading focuses on the initiative relationship between the good shepherd and the sheep and the Lord’s protective care for his people.

Jesus as the good shepherd “Knows his sheep”. This goes beyond recognizing someone by name or characteristics. In fact biblical “knowing ” is so intimate and personal that is used to describe acts of intimacy between husband and wife. Jesus knows his own with a divine knowledge, as the Lord knows the deep secrets of the human heart.

The Good shepherd feeds the flock and protects them. He leads them to green pastures and to the running waters; he walks with them through dark valley that they may not fear in harm.(Psalm 23). He fights with fierce animal which prey on the sheep at the risk of his own life. Jesus literally offers his life on the cross so that the flock entrusted to him by the heavenly Father may posses eternal life.

The “actions” of the good shepherd knowing and caring can serve as powerful criteria when we choose our leaders let us ask our ourselves these questions before elections:Is there mutual knowledge between voters and candidates? Do people make an effort to know the person they are electing into office?do they believe in the integrity and capacity to lead their chosen candidates? or they are just voting for the “most popular candidate”? On the other hand, do the candidates know the needs of the people they have to,lead or to represent? By the standards of service, are the candidates qualified and willing to serve? Have they prepared a political program that they planned to implement once elected or did they join a political fray in the hope of lying their hands on the wealth and power that comes from the office?

Alas, “Servant of the people”. has become an empty and ironic slogan. Are the candidates running for office because they want to serve? Or because they desire to perpetuate a political dynasty or protect some vested interest?

The late Holy Father Pope John Paul II offers sound advice to those who called to public office:Live your involvement in politics as a service others, it is an approach as an magnificent as it is demanding. it cannot be reduced to some generic restatement of principles or a declaration of good intentions. Political service is lived in a precise and daily commitment which calls for great competence in the fulfillment of one’s duties and unswerving morality in the selfless and accountable exercise of power”

The Holy father addressed these words to government leaders as he introduced to them. The new Patron Saint of statesmen and politicians:St. Thomas More this “Man of all Seasons” proved himself a leader with the heart of a good shepherd. Their patron saint, the pope, reminded the world leaders, always put”himself at the service of the person especially the weak and the poor. Honor and wealth held no sway over him … above all he never compromised his conscience, even to the point of making the supreme sacrifice so as not disregard its voice”

As we also celebrate the 47th World day of Prayer for Vocation, let us entrust to Jesus the good shepherd all the religious in the world that they may preserve the gift of vocation that God has given them, and let us also pray the the Lord of the Mystical harvest to send out laborers into his harvest

Crossing the Threshold

Crossing the Threshold
April 18, 2010

3rd Sunday of Easter

Gospel: Jn. 21:1-19

As we meditate on today’s Gospel, the setting for this appearance of the Risen Lord is different from the preceding narratives. The disciples are no longer “locked in” for fear of the Jews (Jn. 20:19,26). they are instead in the open “at the sea of Tiberias,” the place of the daily chore. In fact, by Peter’s initiative, the disciples are back to their job, fishing

The end of futile night of fishing happens as the breakfast ready. Jesus the master himself becomes their servant. He takes the bread and give it to them; and he does same with the fish.

“Take and Give” are allusions of the Eucharistic feast. missions begins and returns to the Eucharist, fount and summit of the Entire Christian life. We eat and give thanks for which we have been given. And this in turn anticipates what still to come.

After the meal we hear the intimate dialogue between Jesus and Simon Peter, the one chosen to lead the community of disciples. The triple of question recalls the triple denial of Peter during Jesus ’ trial before the Sanhedrin. A humbled and transformed Peter is graced to undo the the triple denial with a triple profession of love, this time based only on his master’s knowledge of him: “Yes, Lord YOU KNOW that i love you.”

We know how Peter and the apostles later grew into the height of their love for the Master and carried out his charge, “Feed my lambs, tend my sheep.” The second reading in today’s liturgy gives strong testimony to this.

Completely transformed by the holy spirit given to them by the Risen Christ, Peter and the apostles boldly carry the out the preaching in Jerusalem, resisting all efforts of the punishments and flogging, they “left the presence of the Sanhedrin” rejoicing that they had been found worthy to suffer, dishonor for the sake of the name.”

A Healthy Skepticism

Reflection for the 2nd Sunday of Easter

Gospel: John 20:19-31

Divine Mercy Sunday

A BLESSED EASTER! When it comes to belief not just religious belief but any kind of belief most people fall into three groups: the gullible, the critical and the skeptical. The gullible are those people who accepts practically any statement as true even statements which extravagant or fantastic. They require very little evidence to believe. If you say your mother has green hair, they will accept your statement at face value and just marvel that they themselves have never met a person with green hair. Skeptics are opposite. They mistrust people, ideas,statements etc., in general and almost on principles. They doubt everything and everyone . If you show a photo of your mother with having green hair and even explain that she dyed her hair green, they will doubt your statement, question the authenticity of the photo, wonder why you are mentioning your mother’s hair in the first place, speculate about your sanity, and so on. Fortunately, most people fall into the groups situated midway between two extreme. They will be inclined to trust you up to a certain point, but they will require a minimum of evidence or explanation before accepting your statement about your mother’s green hair. They are critical but moderately so. In the first group the people are not critical enough. In the second group they are excessively critical.

Jesus expected people to be critical of his teachings. As a rule he did not expect people to accept all his statements naively. On the contrary, he constant appealed to their personal experience, their judgment, their opinion. Obviously, he expected his listeners to use their brains. He want intelligent, critical disciples, who would not accept just any statement of his without minimum of evidence. Naturally, this evidence could be indirect, for example his miraculous powers, his shining holiness, his great wisdom. But it was sufficient to warrant faith.

Today’s Gospel reading presents an extreme skeptic, Thomas As such he is not a monster or a freak. In fact he represents all those who, like him are by nature and temperament suspicious of everyone and everything. and in that connection it is interesting to observe how Jesus deals with this sort of people. As we can see from this gospel scene, Jesus accepts them as they are. Thomas demands to examine the marks of his wounds. Well and good. With utter meekness, Jesus submits to the test imposed by Thomas. Only after Thomas drops his unreasonable demands does Jesus gently chide him. Oh but the rebuke is so mild and indirect that it is hardly felt! “Blessed are those who have not seen but believed.” Let this welcoming attitude of Jesus towards the naturally skeptic reassure those of us who belong to that category of people. Jesus does not reject them in the least. He just regrets that they are hard to convince. Their distrustful nature makes them miss a lot of beautiful insight or discoveries. A healthy skepticism is good but it must not exclude a sense of wonder and an openness to mystery.

Easter Message 2010

" Christians, to the Paschal Victim, offer Sacrifice and praise.The Sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, has sinners to his Father Reconciled."

We have come to the end of our Journey of Lent, and we are now entering the Glorious Easter Season, where we await the Resurrection of Christ the savior of the World, who suffered and nailed to the Cross to save the Humanity from the Slave of Sin.

May this Easter Season, Give us New Hope and Joy to life everlasting and may we see our own resurrection, in the image of the Risen Christ.!

A Blessed and Holy Easter!!!