SHEEP AND SHEPHERD

A long time ago, I had the chance of attending the Christian Life Program (CLP) in Pomona sponsored by the Couples for Christ. (CFC) I had an unforgettable experience during the Baptism in the Spirit when I had a vision of the scene of the crucifixion of Jesus in Mt. Calvary between the 2 thieves as in Luke 23:42-43 when the good thief said, "Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom. Indeed, I promise you" he replied "today you will be with me in paradise."  It was almost like it was being said to me instead of to the thief and I felt goose bumps and very warm all over me as I knelt down inside a small prayer room. Immediately after that, as I was led into a bigger room, the choir suddenly sang the song entitled, "I am the Bread of Life" in which the lyrics "And I will raise you up on the last day." really struck my heart and brought me to tears. The CFC leader then told the group after I have shared it to them that it was the first time that something like it had ever happened since he felt that it was indeed a great occasion to rejoice and be reminded of that standing invitation of Jesus to all of us to share in His Kingdom and enjoy eternal life with God. Another enriching experience was when I met there Sis. Maria Ramirez, she's Mexican, a very special person whom I consider as someone I can relate and share with very intimate and  meaningful experiences with our Lord Jesus Christ. I should say we've connected and bonded right away despite the short and intermittent periods we've been together. Everytime we see each other in various occasions for the Lord like healing services of Fr. Barry, we've always been so excited and longed to always get together more often. The CLP became a venue for one of those rare occasions when I can be with her. It was a year after this when I was confronted with this very difficult situation since I had to be in two places at the same time. This happened a couple of years ago when Mommy Chit planned a birthday party for her husband Bro Alex and decided to incorporate it in one of our Light of Jesus Community(LOJC) local feasts making it an occasion that anyone should surely must not miss especially myself as her "adopted daughter" here in the US. The birthday party feast and CLP in St. Martha fell on the same date (July 18, 2010). Prior to it without much thought for the said date I had invited people in St. Martha to attend the CLP scheduled every Saturday of July and August. I succeeded in doing so and was able to bring 5 people (Chelsea, Chesca, Sis Claire, Sis Ruby and her daughter, Eunice) to this activity. And as the said date came near I finally realized that I had to make a decision and weigh my options very carefully as to where I should go. The night I finally decided was very significant since I was reminded of the CLP experience I was mentioning earlier of the scenario of Jesus in between the 2 thieves. We were having our bible study in St. Lorenzo 2 nights before the said date when Fr. Tony mentioned it and paralleled it with the scene in the Book of Jonah 4:11. This I considered extraordinary since he was discussing about the book of Jonah at that time. This series of events made this occasion very memorable for me since its significance further confirmed the decisions I made. Though, it was a hard one, since I chose to stay and be with these new aspirants for the Lord as they embark on their journey to become part of the CLP in their goal to know and learn more deeply about the Lord rather than be at the LOJC Feast and birthday party of Bro. Alex. For I knew then also that my brothers and sisters in the LOJC will understand since they are already grown and matured in the faith making themselves the shepherds unlike most of these CLP participants who are just new to this kind of work for the Lord thus making them the sheep. Although I had chosen to stay behind and be there for the people whom I had invited for the CLP, I also intended to catch up later for Bro Alex party but was not able to do due to conflicting and personal schedules of my supposed rides on which I don't want to impose undue stress and pressure. I felt really bad then for not being able to share in the special occasion that Mommy Chit prepared for Bro Alex and looked forward to spending with their family and friends for a long time. But I knew that everything worked for the good since today's 1st reading happened to be the same reading at that time wherein we are all reminded of the need to become a good shepherd to the people who need to be in close and personal relationship with God and whom we are bringing to the flock of His pasture. Amen. Hallelujah!

 Jeremiah 23:1-6

1 Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD. 2 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...

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 those realities 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!

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

R: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 In verdant pastures he gives me repose. Beside restful waters he leads me; 3 he refreshes my soul. (R) He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil; for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage. (R) 5 You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. (R) 6 Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd for He tended, united and made one His scattered sheep. In the same way that the 1st and psalm reading convey to us the need to become an obedient sheep and good shepherd, today's 2nd reading is also inviting us to be witnesses of the blood of Christ in order to become instruments in bringing closer to God those who are far off by bearing the peace and good will of Christ and breaking down the dividing wall of enmity. For though we are members of many communities under  different names like the LOJC, CFC and God's Children (GC) in St. Martha, etc. we must not forget that we all belong to just one big happy family of God. Amen. Hallelujah!

 Ephesians 2:13-18

...In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,...

 Jesus also acknowledges the need for us to rest and regain our strength after a whole day's work. We should not overdo anything so as not to exasperate ourselves and become less effective in whatever we do. There are times when we end up just tiring ourselves in a lot of needless ways and must always take a closer look of what we're going into before doing something. This reminds me of the great amount of time, energy and effort a person had placed into something without much thought and just ended up with having to go back to what she previously had but with having more work to do. We are all guilty sometimes of going to and from and doing things just to end up for nothing but what matters most is that whenever we do something we should keep in mind that just like Jesus  our compassion for people who are in need should always take precedent in our lives. Although, there are times when we become so weary of what we do. In today's gospel, the apostles just came from their missionary efforts and are very tired. They were told by Jesus “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”  They also needed to recharge themselves to carry on their mission. Although we may not realize it but sometimes we just have to get away for a while in order to get the much needed rest that our bodies need. We may also come to a point in our lives when we feel like we are in a far away place all by ourselves in a deserted place as described by Jesus in today's gospel. We sometimes think that our lives was suddenly put to a stop or on hold, for it looks like we've reached the end of the line and nothing good seems to be happening. If this is the case, we could consider ourselves to be in hibernation or in a forced resting mode although we may not like it. Let us not despair and think that we are going down the drain. God is not yet finished with us until He tells us so. Nothing is ever wasted for as long as we always make sure that we don't stray away from Jesus. Whatever aspect in life it is, we may want to look at this, take it and ought to consider everything as preparation. It is best to take advantage of this period that we're going through to rest a while and just be in hibernation in order to come out better Christians ready to fulfill our God given destiny with much fire and enthusiasm. It is of great consolation to know that we have a God who answers all our needs even before we ask for it. We need not whine, complain nor put matters into our hands because He got us covered and well cared for. We might not be fully convinced of this if we still allow the world's influence to overpower us. This is perfectly understandable because we are still in this world. Let us not forget that we are not of this world and are destined for much greater things than any of us could imagine. Amen. Hallelujah!

Mark 6:30-34

And the apostles coming together unto Jesus, related to him all things that they had done and taught. And he said to them: Come apart into a desert place, and rest a little. For there were many coming and going: and they had not so much as time to eat. And going up into a ship, they went into a desert place apart. And they saw them going away, and many knew: and they ran flocking thither on foot from all the cities, and were there before them. And Jesus going out saw a great multitude: and he had compassion on them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things.