Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life
for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his
own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf
catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern
for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just
as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for
the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I
must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one
shepherd. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order
to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I
have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have
received from my Father.”
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Reflection:
There is a story of a husband who was left behind by his wife for
another man. The uncouple had six young children that was left by the wife in
the care of her husband. One morning the husband gathered his children looked
each of them in the eye and told them: I will take care of you come regardless of
whatever difficulties that we may face and I will see you through and I will be
with you until the end.
Jesus in our gospel tells us that He is our good shepherd that will give
His very life for us so that he could find and save us. What have we done to
merit this infinite love from Jesus? Nothing, we have even offended Jesus for
countless times that we think that we are not anymore deserving of His infinite
love. But Jesus our good shepherd loves us so dearly that He would always be
there for us regardless of our many sins.
We will sin for as long as we live in this world but the infinite love
of Jesus our good shepherd will always be there for us. Let us therefore not be
deaf to His search and longing for us. He wants us back to His fold and He wants
us back to His loving and unconditional embrace. Thus, Jesus is continuously searching for us.
Many of us continuously loiter in the abyss if sinfulness, we purposely
turn a blind eye for Jesus’ search for us. However, for what cost would it be?
For the cost of our own life in this world? We would sin and continuously sin until
it cost us our life?
Jesus your good shepherd is knocking at your heart, bare and open your
heart to Him. – Marino J. Dasmarinas