DO YOU RECOGNIZE HIS VOICE?

I am reminded of the time when I was in Downtown LA and had the chance of spending time with my relatives. Passing through the commercial area, entering the stores, walking through the familiar streets there, and choosing a place where to dine in with family made me realize this experience to indeed be a total sensory experience, an experience of sight, of sound, of taste, touch and smell which brought back and also stored up good memories to last. It was quite an experience because I never intended for an extension of the party I had earlier that day because the schedule did not fit my itinerary for the day. I was just led to it by the circumstances that followed unexpectedly and was able to fit them all together since I was even suggesting a different place earlier. I felt like everything about it was all arranged and planned by the Lord who knew what was going to be. It was such an enjoyable and fun filled experience. All I knew was that it held a special and deep meaning that touched my heart in an unexplainable way owing to the occasions and incidences that were connected and related to it. But I believe God in His awesome and almighty wisdom, intelligence and knowledge reveals things in stages for the benefit of our limited capacities and understanding. The series of events and daily readings became an eye opener and has given me a better understanding of all the things that have happened since. Lent is over and it is time to celebrate and rejoice. When we are faced with a troublesome situation we should always remember the reason for the season this Easter. It is time to be joyous and rejoice. Lent is only 40 days while Pentecost is 50 days which means it should be celebrated longer. We should allow the Holy Spirit to guide and empower us with His gifts and fruits. In today's 1st reading there are 3 things we have to do to receive God's gift. 1. Imitate the pierced heart of Mary 2. Seek the help of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ 3. Repentance. It's time for us to make a stand. There is indeed a tug of war of good and bad. On which side are you? Let us be fully aware of which side we are pulling.  We should come to a point when we also ask ourselves the same question that was asked by the 1st christians in the 1st reading today during the time of Jesus.  I realized it is always good to look back, recall and never forget those times in our lives. One thing is sure, Jesus is calling us to a relationship with Him. In such situations we just need to always be attuned to Him so we can always choose to follow and obey. We can always be confident and full of hope that whatever is the outcome of our actions for as long as we know that we have consulted it to God in prayer and have acted with our best ability then we are always safe and secure. Amen. Hallelujah! 

Acts of the Apostles 2,36-41.
36 On the day of Pentecost, Peter said to the Jewish people, “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Messiah,..Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, "What are we to do, my brothers?" 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 will receive the gift of the holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call."...

Psalm 23 assures us where the road of God’s love will lead us because it tells us exactly what kind of road we are heading to if we accept the love of the Good Shepherd. When I was a young child, I used to sing and imagine the scenario in the psalm reading for today. Psalm 23 has a Tagalog song version in the Philippines entitled, “Ang Panginoon ang aking Pastol” I have always loved singing it because of the very comforting words in the song. It has always given me an impression that with God on our side nothing can go wrong and if things seem to look like there is something wrong there is really nothing to fear for He will always be there to defend and protect. Let us not stray away from the Lord and always stay in the flock that He cares for. We may have heard a story of how a lion attacks its prey by separating it from the flock and once it has cornered it and all alone that's the time it devours it. It pays to always stay in the flock under the care of our Good Shepherd. We have to make sure we are not misguided or deceived by a fake shepherd and really belong to the flock of sheep that Jesus shepherds. If we are just to read and understand very well every word said in today's psalm then we ought to find ourselves the most contented and secured person in the whole wide world. There should be no more room for fear, doubt and anxiety. We've got to develop the confidence and faith of a person who have truly believed that the Lord is our shepherd. A sheep without a shepherd doesn’t know where to go and get food. They just stand there looking dumb and hungry. Today's psalm is a reminder and great consolation that we are the sheep and the Lord is our Shepherd. He is the Good Shepherd as stated in today's psalm. He makes us want for nothing more. We are so caught up with our problems and concerns in life that we become oblivious of God. We do not see the love of God in the midst of these disturbing events. In our journey here on earth we are all confronted with the bitter and harsh realities of life. Let us always remember and never forget that on top of this reality is the resounding truth and most essential one that we have a Good Shepherd. We should praise and thank God for those experiences although difficult served as an inspiration which we could hold on to at times when things do not turn out right. We can be assured that everything is in control although there is really a need to go through a so called "dark valley" of our lives in order for us to be fully aware that we have a God who looks after our welfare no matter how things turn out unexpectedly and not according to what we have in mind. We always have to believe that in the end, God is always on our side to give us the courage to carry on and find that God got us covered. There is one thing sure if we hold on to God as a sheep to the Good Shepherd, we will never be disappointed. The words of God in today's readings give us an assurance that He is always there for us. He said it and He means it then so be it. There is nothing more He could possibly mean when He said that He is the Good Shepherd other than He cares for us. He never forsakes nor abandons any single one of His flock. Sometimes we are confronted with situations that push us to the limits and thus we give way. This should never be the case at any single time. We should not entertain the option that is clearly not pleasing to the Lord even beyond the point of maximum tolerance. We may find ourselves able to resist up to a certain extent only. Thus when the tough gets really tough we would suddenly find ourselves shifting our loyalty. We only find ourselves proclaiming God in our life when situations are favorable. It's such a pity if we would ever come to this point where almost everybody in this world found themselves comfortably positioned. We can easily change positions when things get uncomfortable and easily turn our backs on what is ultimately God’s will for us. As in Rev. 3:16, So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. It is time to make a stand and know which side we really are rather than continue making excuses and justifications. We must not doubt God's ability to be the  Good Shepherd that He really is to us and trust Him rather than ourselves to carry out the plan He has for us.  Just like this old adage, "Never put the law into your hands." We should not take away God's plan from His hands into ours and act like we know better. If there's someone who could perfectly carry out this plan for our lives then that is no other than God Himself. Nothing could be more perfect than entrusting our life in God's hands. Just try to imagine ourselves right now, as is, where is with all our cares and problems in this world. Then try to paint another picture, this time with God as the Good Shepherd that tends the sheep, then picture ourselves as that sheep that the Lord tends. Be still for a moment and try to absorb and allow to sink in the words in the responsorial psalm. In God's loving embrace we are secured and satisfied that there is nothing we stand in need of. If the Lord is our shepherd who could ask for more? Goodness and love pursue us all the days of our life. For as long we're sure that the Lord Jesus is indeed the shepherd who leads us and whom we follow then there is no doubt about this. We should thank the Lord for our daily assurances, confirmation and in all circumstances. God will never allow us to go hungry and will always give us what we need and even more. God is a generous God that when we're feeling hungry or in need of something He is always there to provide, all we have to do is trust Him in His ways, as He has promised. Amen. Hallelujah!

Psalms 23(22),1-3.3-4.5.6.
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
...The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack. In green pastures you let me graze; to safe waters you lead me; you restore my strength. You guide me along the right path for the sake of your name...You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows...

We have to stand up for something that is good and right before God. Amen. Hallelujah!

First Letter of Peter 2,20-25.
...But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God...

There is no indication that the hired hand is a bad shepherd. Not all the money in the world could compel a man to give his life for the sheep. Our Lord tells us that He is the Good Shepherd willing to lay down His life for the sheep. Remember the Good Shepherd knew each sheep by name. He loves the sheep and would die for the sheep. When our Lord went to Calvary he was going away beyond the call of duty.  No one could compel or coerce any man to give his life for others. But our Lord made it clear that no one was taking away His life away from Him freely He was laying it down as a sacrifice of love to the Father for you and for me. I wonder if we in our lives have learned that lesson. There are certain demands, certain duties imposed on everyone on this earth. The employee has to go to work every morning, spends a certain number of hours on the job and performs certain duties as expected. It is the same with the mother and father. They must feed and cloth their children, educate them and treat them humanely. And so it is with the husband and wife, certain obligations are laid to them by the fact that they are one and two in one. It is the same with the priest, with the lawyer, doctor and student. There is another dimension to life that we have to learn if we are going to live radiantly on this earth. The student will never learn the meaning of education until he goes to the library himself beyond what is demanded of him by the professor and study and research on his own. Then will he begin to enjoy learning in itself. The mother and the father and the children will never become a family as such until they could go beyond what the law demands. And the man who works would never enjoy his occupation until he stops thinking about the paycheck. In every country and every community there are 3 kinds of people, 1st the lawless who break the law, refuse to do their duty and have to be taken care of with the penal system. 2nd there is the man and the woman who are the people who do what the law demands. Everyday they are the salt of the earth (Mt. 5:13). Last, there are the volunteers who go beyond the call of duty. They are the backbone of every country and every community. But isn’t it what Christianity is all about. Isn’t this what our Lord has taught us, to give our cloak as well as our coat and to go the extra mile. Not to turn away from him who would borrow from us. To forgive not 7x but 70x7 (Mt. 18:21-22) that same person who does the same stupid things all the time who is indifferent and callous who never says thank you and takes us for granted. Our Lord said if you love those who love you what is there to that? The pagans do that. You and I must love our enemies, do good to those who hate us and pray for those who persecute us that we may be the child of our Father in heaven who causes the rain to fall on the good and the bad (Mt. 5:45) and the sun to shine on the just and the unjust. We have been tutored by the years that all the good things and its loveliness is not of our own making. This comes only from our union with God who lives within us. We can not be loving to our enemies, forgiving to those who hurt us, understanding and compassionate on our own. These are all a gift of God to us. It comes from the union with our Lord as we try to live day after day. Who compels Mother Teresa to do the things she does. Who compels the mother and the father to sacrifice themselves and do without so their children can be educated, grow up and take their place in life? All of this comes from the Lord in whom we believe lives within us. Day after monotonous day, we must go on striving, failing, falling and beginning again. The Lord doesn’t ask us to succeed in anything, success is His gift. What we are asked to do is to try and to go on trying all the days of our lives. And so we pray, “Lord lift us up of our lethargy, apathy, coldness, and indifference and make us so aware of your love for us that we may learn to love you in return.”
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 only aim is to steal our joy, slaughter and destroy our peace. 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. We must not be afraid for God's yoke is His will for us which we should accept. It does not take away our freedom nor it wears us down since the good news is out, the Good Shepherd is risen. He came for us that we might have life and have it abundantly. Amen. Hallelujah!

 John 10:1-10
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. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 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.”