JESUS - MY GOOD SHEPHERD
A Happy & blessed Sunday to you. Are you having a restful day? Is your heart filled with comfort & peace? Do you have good nutrition with healthy food & drinks? Is your life overflowing with joy, satisfaction & fulfillment? Are you experiencing a sense of safety & protection from harm & danger?
Why am I asking all these personal questions? Because today, we want to draw closer to Jesus, the Good Shepherd. We want to identify the goodness, mercy & love of the Good Shepherd; this is best shown in the beautiful Psalm 23, today’s Responsorial Psalm. The Lord our Shepherd leads us to green pastures & flowing rivers of peace & rest; He feeds us with a great banquet & guides us along our journey of life; our cup overflows with all His blessings of love, joy, peace, great family & friends, & material, emotional & spiritual provision; with Him we feel safe from harm & danger; and we know deep in our heart that He will never abandon us but we live & dwell in His presence always.
Jesus, our Good Shepherd knows us deeply & intimately – “I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my own know me” (cf John 10:14). He loves us so much that he laid down his life for us – He died on the cross to save us! (cf John 10:11 & Galatians 2:20).
Question here is: Do we know the Good Shepherd? Fr Joseph Royan, who preached our Parish Retreat just a few days before told us the supposed true story of a religious gathering when a young man (perhaps the actor Anthony Hopkins when he was young?) was invited to recite Psalm 23. And what a marvelous recitation it was – so filled with poise, dramatic expression & flawless & beautifully nuanced speech that spurred all to give him a standing ovation. Then an old man stood up & asked to recite it again. And he did so – slowly, hesitantly, mis-pronouncing some words & altogether, not a good recitation. Yet, the room was so silent that you could hear a pin drop & tears welled up in the eyes of many in the assembly as the old man concluded. The young man then stood up & said: “I know the Psalm; but this man knows the Shepherd!”
Do you know the Shepherd? Or do you merely know Psalm 23? Do you daily experience Jesus’ loving care & mercy for you & have you experienced his healing & salvation in deep & personal ways? Or do you just know the psalm, even memorize every line & recite it by heart but never really connect with the Shepherd?
I must admit that though I’ve sung Psalm 23 as a Cantor so many times, I often fail to have that level of heart-to-heart connection with Jesus like the old man in the story. For me, it’s sometimes more of a “know about Jesus” rather than “know Jesus” frame of mind. What about you? If you are like me (& I’m just like any ordinary Joe or Mary), I encourage you not to give up but continue to seek the Lord Jesus; continue to beg Him to draw you close to His Heart; ask Him to reveal His deep personal love for you & change your heart to be humbler & more docile to His will.
I don’t really think I need to write more on the readings today. You can, in your own heart-to-heart talk with Jesus these next few days, invite Him to enlighten your mind on His Word for this Sunday. But, to reemphasize the need to know Jesus, I’d like to conclude with this beautiful passage from Isaiah 40:11:
“He will feed his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms,
and carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead the mother sheep.”
I love carrying & cradling Reiko, my Cavapoo puppy & holding her close to my heart (and also my first dog Sookie, a Westie who had passed away 9 months ago). We both have a deep heart-to-heart connection during these precious moments. They find love, care & protection in my embrace. And I find so much joy, gratitude & love. Now think about Jesus holding you closely to His heart & feel the love of God flood your mind, body & soul. Experience how much comfort, peace & joy Jesus brings to you. And even as you rejoice is His love, know in the depths of your heart that Jesus delights in loving you, & knowing that you love & trust Him.
Here's a beautiful song about the wonderful & loving Shepherd of our Souls, our Lord Jesus. Remain in His love always!
https://youtu.be/A-qLa_2GPcM?si=iH8FveYpepF-1Ix
Article by Damian Boon, HFC Blog Team Lead