At around this same time several years 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
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
30 And the apostles coming together unto Jesus, related to
him all things that they had done and taught. 31 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. 32 And going up into a ship,
they went into a desert place apart. 33 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. 34 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.
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