God's gift of forgiveness and salvation is not exclusive to
only a selected few, it is open to all. Let us broaden our perspective with
regards to this and always extend a welcoming spirit to everyone regardless of
who they are. We do not have to belong to a particular race. We have all been
qualified by God Himself. We are expected to extend this same love to our
brothers and sisters regardless of race and culture. Oftentimes we are guilty
of discriminating whenever we come in contact with people who are different so
to speak or those who do not conform to our standards. Whether we admit it or
not we are all guilty of this and we should follow Peter's example of
acknowledging God's universal love to all of us. Amen. Hallelujah!
Acts 11: 1-18
...‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane...If
then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the
Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” 18 When they heard
this, they stopped objecting and glorified God, saying, “God has then granted
life-giving repentance to the Gentiles, too.”
Only Jesus can make us whole and satisfy our soul. We should
take note of the fact that we are not just physical human beings. The moment we
leave and pass away from this world we cease to be in our physical state but
our souls live on. If at this present moment we attend to the needs of our
physical bodies we should also do the same for our souls which will pass from
this world to life eternal. There is an end to all that we hold and see right
now since we are just passing by. Our true and everlasting home belongs
with God. If our physical bodies need nourishment in this life in order to live
so does our souls. When we are in a state wherein we feel so deprived and
famished, a helping hand can go a long way. We may not totally understand the
concept of purgatory as a whole but this is what we are supposed to be to our
brothers and sisters who long to see God face to face but is yet to happen. We,
the Church Militant active and living can serve for them as a beaming light in
the darkness and a guide to the right path. Let us not neglect to pray for the
faithful departed souls of our loved ones, family and friends. Have you heard
of this very vital information about survival. Our bodies can go without food
for a long time but not without water. We can all die of dehydration faster than
starvation. Let us make sure we don't dehydrate our souls to the point of death
and exhaustion. Just like Naaman the Syrian who plunged into the water of the
Jordan River and was cleansed, we should also drink from the river of God
Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4
R: Athirst is my soul for the living God.
1 [2] As the hind longs for the running waters, so my soul
longs for you, O God. 2 [3] Athirst is my soul for God, the living God. When
shall I go and be hold the face of God? (R) 43: 3 Send forth your light and
your fidelity; they shall lead me on and bring me to your holy mountain, to
your dwelling-place. (R) 4 Then will I go in to the altar of God, the God of my
gladness and joy; then will I give you thanks upon the harp, O God, my God!
It is very important that we follow the Good Shepherd so
that we don't end up in the hands of the enemy whose only goal is to steal,
slaughter and destroy. We are safe in the guiding love of Jesus as long as we consciously
follow Him. Only Jesus can satisfy our souls and make us whole. He'll give us
peace we never knew, sweet love, joy and heaven, too. These are the lyrics of a
charismatic song that I have always loved to sing. In today's gospel the
message of God is very clear, we should know and recognize the voice of God and
the path that leads to Him. Let us not allow ourselves to be led astray by the
deception of the enemy whose aim is to steal our joy and destroy our peace. We
have to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal things to us. We have to throw away all
our garbage in our character and relationship like vices, lust, pride, anger,
materialism, being stingy in giving treasures to the Lord. We still have a lot
of things to be transformed in our lives. As written in the gospel today, I
came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. We need to
remove the fear of surrendering to the Lord. The disciples of Jesus love to be
in the company of the Master. They talked, walked, ate and spent time with
Jesus to learn. If we are bothered by some concerns let us always approach and
never leave the flock that our Good Shepherd cares for. In Him we are surely
safe and secure. We ought to be careful though that we do not fall for the trap
of the enemy and this world. We have to know and identify who really is the
Good Shepherd. We've got to know the difference and be very discreet in whom we
place our confidence and trust. The false shepherd exploits, feeds his ego and
makes himself the center. He takes rather than gives. These things might be
very familiar to us and might have experienced it with friends, relatives, even
institutions and groups. Instead of leading us to green pasture we suffer in
the process as we follow the hired hand. The Good Shepherd on the contrary does
not run away when danger is imminent but rather is willing to die for the
sheep. Jesus is dedicated to protect and keep us safe from the many dangers of
this world. He is willing to be betrayed, denied, humiliated and crucified for
our sake. We are like lost sheep and we need to follow Jesus all the way to the
cross in Mt. Calvary
John 10:1-10
1 Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not
enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a
robber. 2 But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his
own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has driven out all his own, he walks
ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice...A
thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might
have life and have it more abundantly.”
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