“Being inspired by the Good Shepherd Who sees, seeks and serves!”

(Based on Acts 2:14a, 36-41, 1 Pet 2:20b-25 and Jn 10:1-10 – Fourth Sunday of Easter)

There was a young teacher in a small town school.

She was the kind of person no one really minded…
… soft-spoken, simple, easily missed in a crowd.
But she noticed and she observed!

Every day, one boy came to school – quiet, polite, always keeping to himself.

However, every day at recess (break-time), he just sat there.
No lunch. No snacks.
He’d just sip from a small water bottle…
… and wait for the bell.

At first, the teacher wasn’t sure.

Maybe the boy just forgot his lunch.
Maybe it was just a day or two.

But the days became weeks.

And she realised, he was in need!

So, without saying a word, she started packing a little extra in her lunchbox.

One sandwich. One piece of fruit.
She would casually leave it on his desk before recess – no names, no notes, just… there.

The boy would look around. Hesitate.

And then, just eat.

Weeks passed.
One day, she found a note folded neatly beneath the sandwich wrapper: “You’re the only one who sees me. Thank you!”

Yes… you don’t need a staff and sandals to be a shepherd…
… just a heart that’s willing to care!

That’s what a true shepherd does:

Sees the invisible.
Loves without being asked.
Gives without needing applause.

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who exhorts…
… to get involved in the lives of peoples and make a difference to them
… to be conscious of our own spiritual life and be zealous about it

Jesus speaks of Himself, as the Good Shepherd, who is close and intimate to the sheep.

It is this intimacy and closeness, that makes Him personally and affectionately concerned of His sheep.

The Lord also speaks of others, who are least interested in the welfare and safety of the sheep.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and robber” (Jn 10:1)

The difference in the attitude of the Good Shepherd and the thieves and robbers is this:

The Good Shepherd has a deep intimacy with the sheep…
… others have no relationship!

The Good Shepherd is fully interested in the welfare of the sheep…
… others only care for their personal agenda and benefits!

The Good Shepherd will undertake any sacrifice, even of His life for the sheep…
… others will escape and run away from assuming any difficulties or hardships!

All of us in our lives are entrusted with “sheep” and we are to be shepherds to them…

This “sheep” could be anybody, based on our status and position in life.

They could be…
… family members, spouses, children
… students, work-colleagues, friends
… parishioners, lay faithful
… the needy, the wanting, those in distress
… our own selves

The question is:
In all such situations, of we being a “shepherd,” do I fail to reach out to “our sheep?”

It is the Lord who has entrusted us with the “sheep” and He expects us to be good and faithful shepherds.

The responsibility is great…

The duty is immense…
But do we get lethargic and indifferent, and fail in our duty to be a true shepherd?

The proclamation by St Peter on Pentecost Day touched the hearts of the people “who were open to the Voice of the Lord”; they realized that they were in need of God’s Merciful touch…
… “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” (Acts 9:37)

St Peter also reminds that Jesus, our Good Shepherd – though innocent and blameless – underwent a lot of suffering for our sake…
… and constantly calls us to turn away from our wayward ways, and return to Him
“He himself bore our sins in His Body on the Cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by His wounds, you have been healed.

For you were going astray like sheep; but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” (1 Pet 2:24-25)

Jesus, the Great Good Shepherd, is our model and example…
… Let us become more concerned of the welfare of our “sheep”
… Let us be willing to take up any sacrifice for the good of our “sheep”

Indeed, sometimes, the holiest things we’ll ever do…
… “is to prepare a simple sandwich and leave it for a needy one, with a prayerful smile!”

Let us be “the one, who sees…
… and seeks
… and serves!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Living the Will of the Father faithfully and making our lives the ‘Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God’”

(Based on Feast of Saint Mark, Evangelist)

It was a place named Bokalia, which means the place of cows, on the east of Alexandria in Egypt.

The Great Feast of Resurrection, that year, 68 A.D., coincided with the pagan celebration of god Syrabis.

A huge multitude of the pagans, assembled and attacked the Church at Bokalia and forced their way in…
These targeted their chief enemy – a saintly man – who was in that church…
… seized him
… bound him with a thick rope
… dragged him in the roads and streets

And they cried out, “Drag the ‘dragon’ to the place of cows!”

They continued dragging him with severe cruelty.
His flesh was torn and scattered everywhere…
… the ground of the city was covered with his blood.

They cast him that night into a dark prison.
The next morning, the pagans returned to take him from the prison.

They tied his neck with a thick rope and did the same as the day before – dragging him over the rocks and stones.

Finally, this great warrior of God delivered up his pure soul in the hand of God…
… and received the crown of martyrdom…
… the Apostolic Crown, the Crown of Evangelism, and the Crown of Virginity.

Nevertheless, his death did not satisfy the rage of the pagans and their hatred.

They gathered a lot of firewood and prepared an inferno to burn him.

However, a severe storm blew and heavy rains fell.

This frightened the pagans, and they fled away in fear.

The believers came and took the body, carried it to the church that they had built at Bokalia, wrapped it up, prayed over it, and placed in a coffin.

They laid the coffin in a secret place in this Church.

This is the heroic account of the martyrdom of St Mark, the Evangelist, whose feast we celebrate today.

It is to St Mark, the Evangelist, that we owe, historically speaking, the first of the four Gospels.

Some of the distinct features and highlighting aspects of the Gospel according to St Mark call for our attention and reflection…

1) The Gospel according to St Mark is the shortest among all the four Gospel accounts.

It probably also has the highest tempo, in terms of the language used and the pace at which the whole Gospel account moves.
a. This invites us to reflect on the urgency of the Kingdom in our lives. The time and place of the coming of the Lord is unknown. (Mk 13: 35-37). Therefore, it places on us, the need to be ever watchful, on the guard and ready for action against the evil, with lives sanctified and purified.

b. This also invites us to reflect on the shortness of our lives, and how each day and each moment of our life (like each chapter and verse of the Gospel), is to be lived solely for the sake of the Lord…
… and making our lives a “true Gospel”, giving witness to Jesus Christ, the Crucified Risen Lord, the Son of God (Mk 15:39)

2) The Gospel according to St Mark was most probably addressed originally to the persecuted and suffering Christians, of the early Church.

This meant to present Jesus, in the light of how He could withstand all pains, pressures and persecutions…
… to remain faithful to the Will of His Father and to the Kingdom Mission.

a. This invites us to fully embrace Jesus as the True Model for our lives. He is the Lord, who suffered immensely, took up every pain and bore every temptation, to remain faithful to His Father (Mk 14:36).

b. This also invites us to not be afraid of pains and sufferings in life and not to be bogged down by the illogicality of why things go haywire in our personal and societal lives.

Instead, we need to look up to Jesus, who was crucified, and even from the Cross, the final act of His obedience, cried out, “Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani – My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mk 15:34)

3) This Gospel is traditionally associated with the life of St Peter.

The Gospel according to St Mark attempts to reveal some of the crucial events, feelings and character of Peter.

It is an attempt, not to merely glorify Peter’s role; rather, it is also an account of how Peter, with all his failures and ‘foolishness’ was still accepted and moulded by Jesus, His patient Master

a. This invites us to face our own weaknesses and limitations of life boldly. Like St Peter, we too very often fall away, oppose the plans of God, be overly zealous yet lazily lethargic and even betray the Lord. Yet, the Good Shepherd does not abandon us; instead goes ahead of us (Mk 16:7), to invite us “to make our life a beautiful one for Him”

b. This also invites us to not give up in life because of constant failures or be ashamed of our brokenness in life (Mk 14:72b).

The Gospel is a parallel drama of the Glorifying Act of Jesus Christ and the Constantly Wavering Life of St Peter.

The Gospel testifies that we are to glory not in our merits or prowess, but rather to seek refuge in the wounds of Christ…
… and to be totally dependent on the One who alone is to be our Strength and Guide.

Just like a lion, the Gospel of Mark brings out powerfully the life and teachings of Jesus, the Mighty Lion of Judah…
… mighty and bold
… fast and powerful,
… demanding and challenging.

The author, St Mark, himself was able to live up to be the witness and shed his blood for sake of the Great Lion of Judah!

Let us read this Gospel according to St Mark…
… meditate on it
… be challenged by it

And strive to live the Will of the Father faithfully – making our lives…
… the “Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk 1:1)
… and be faithful to the missionary mandate of the Lord, as St Mark writes: “And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it!” (Mk 16:20)

Happy Feast of St Mark, the Evangelist

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Growing in the Love for the Holy Eucharist and deepening our faith and conviction in Him!”

(Based on Acts 9:1-20 and Jn 6:52-59- Friday of the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time)

A person once came to a Catholic Priest, wanting to make fun of his faith and beliefs.

He especially wanted to take a dig at the Church’s understanding of the Holy Eucharist.

And so he asked, “How can ordinary bread and wine turn into the Body and Blood of Christ?”

The Priest answered, “Well, it’s simple to understand… The food that you eat daily, does it not change into your body and blood? Then how much more is it not possible for Christ to do the same?”

But the person did not give up.

He asked, “But how can the entire body of Christ be in such a small host? It sounds so kiddish to me!”

“Does not the whole vast landscape fit into your little eye?”, replied the priest.

The answer made a lot of sense…
But the person still persisted and said,”How can the same Christ be present in all your churches, at the same time?”

The priest then took a mirror and let the person look into it.

He then let the mirror fall to the ground and break and said “There is only one of you and yet you can find your face reflected in each piece of that broken mirror at the same time.”

These were some of the simple yet practical applications that were offered to let the Great Mystery of the Holy Eucharist be understood.

The Holy Eucharist – the Body and Blood of Jesus – is the greatest treasure that the Church offers to Her children…

Yet, the Holy Eucharist sometimes, also turns out to be a great barrier for people to misunderstand and misinterpret the Church.

The same was true even in the time of Jesus.

The mention of His Body and Blood caused great division, misunderstanding and led to the misinterpretation of Jesus.

The Gospel of the Day is an account of the Lord declaring the necessity of being partakers of His Body and Blood to be having a share in eternal life.

Jesus continues His discourse on He being the “Bread of Life”.

The Lord surprises His hearers by saying that He is “the bread that came down from heaven” (Jn 6:51a)

He shocks them even further by saying that “the bread that I give is my flesh for the world” (Jn 6:51b)

This caused a dispute among the people, “How can this man give us His flesh to eat?” (Jn 6:52)

The bold declaration of the Lord that He would give His Flesh and His Blood as food and drink, caused a huge scandal among His listeners and it cause deep divisions and disputes.

The same is so much true in our own world, when the Church declares the Holy Eucharist to be the True and Real Body and Blood of the Lord, there is so much dispute and division caused.

Not many are able to accept this understanding
Not many are convinced of this teaching
Not many even believe this to be true
Not many are passionate either

The Catechism of the Church declares that “the mode of Christ’s presence under the Eucharistic species is unique”
“In the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist ‘the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained.”

The questions now arise before us…

My belief and understanding of this most Precious and Treasured Gift of the Holy Eucharist – “the source and summit of Christian Life”
… Do I believe with conviction that Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Eucharist?
… Do I celebrate and participate in the Holy Mass with this Divine Fervour?

What is the effect that this Sacrament of Total Self-giving on me?
… Does the reception of Jesus, the Love Incarnate, make me in turn to be more loving towards others and do I make deliberate choices to extend love to all?
… Does the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist impel me also to make sacrifices – even tiny, insignificant, unnoticed – for the cause and good of others?

My contribution to spread the good news of the Holy Eucharist to others
… Am I being a person who radiates the love of the Eucharist to others, by my conscious efforts to be respectful, reverent and devoted in the Chapel or Church and also become aware of the Lord’s Presence, when passing by Churches or handling Sacred objects?
… Do I tell to other people about this exciting, real presence of God in the Holy Eucharist, to other people, especially the sick, the suffering and those in distress, that they may experience the Real and True healing presence of the Lord?

Let us grow in the Love for the Holy Eucharist and deepen our faith and conviction in Him.

As St Francis de Sales tells us…
“When the bee has gathered the dew of heaven and the earth’s sweetest nectar from the flowers, it turns it into honey and hastens to its hive…
… In the same way, the priest, having taken from the altar, the Son of God (who is as the dew from heaven, and true son of Mary, flower of our humanity), gives him to you as delicious food.

When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage; speak to Him about your spiritual life, gazing upon Him in your soul where He is present for your happiness…
… Welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence.”

May Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist always be praised…
… and may our Blessed Mother Mary, the Mother of the Eucharist, intercede for us!

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“Growing in our love for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist – the Bread of Life!”

(Based on Acts 8:26-40 and Jn 6:44-51 – Thursday of the Third Week in Easter)

Saint Mother Teresa was known for her immense devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist.

She found her strength for her services of mercy, by being united and spending time with the Eucharistic Lord…
… everyday!

She has spoken very beautifully about the Holy Eucharist:
She says: “When Jesus came into the world, he loved it so much that he gave His Life for it.

He wanted to satisfy our hunger for God.
And what did He do?
He made himself the ‘Bread of Life.’

He became small, fragile and defenseless for us.
Bits of bread can be so small that…
… even a small child can chew it!
… even a dying person can eat it!”

Have we discovered our Love for this “Precious Bread of Life?”

The Sixth Chapter of the Gospel of St John can be called as “the great discourse on the Bread of Life”

Jesus declares, “I am the bread of life” (Jn 6:48)

The Lord says, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who sent me” (Jn 6:44)

Our attraction to the Eucharist is not merely a personal devotion…
… it is a Divine initiative
… it is a Holy gift

Every desire to receive Holy Communion and every longing for Holy Adoration, is the Father already gently pulling the soul toward Jesus Christ.

Do I recognize my Eucharistic hunger as a grace…
… or do I reduce it to routine?

It is in the Holy Eucharist, that the Lord offers the Bread of Life – this imperishable food and salvation – to each of us.

What is our perception and passion towards this True Life that Jesus offers in the Holy Eucharist?

Do I remain indifferent to believing in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist?

Do I fail to prepare myself well to receive Jesus, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass?
Do I become unmindful or even disrespectful to the Presence of the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, in the Chapels and in the Churches?

The detailed meditation in John 6 on the “the great discourse on the Bread of Life” is a call to deepen our faith and zeal for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist.

It is this devotion and union with the Lord, alone, that can make us also, in turn, a Eucharistic people – breaking and giving ourselves – for the welfare and salvation of the world!

In the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Philip…
… inspired by an Angel of the Lord reaches out to a royal official – an Ethiopian eunach – and delivers the Word of God and the Salvific Message of the Risen Lord.

When we have a deep passion for the Lord in our hearts, we too will reach out the Message of God’s Love and Mercy to the world around us.

May the words of St Francis de Sales inspire us:
“When the bee has gathered the dew of heaven and the earth’s sweetest nectar from the flowers, it turns it into honey, then hastens to its hive.

In the same way, the priest, having taken from the Altar, the Son of God (who is as the dew from heaven, and true son of Mary, flower of our humanity)…
… gives Him to you as Delicious Food!”

Let us seek to satisfy our hunger for God…
… by growing in our love for Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist – the Bread of Life!”

God Bless! Live Jesus!

“May Jesus, the Bread of Life, always be the source, strength and summit of our Christian living!”

(Based on Acts 8:1b-8 and Jn 6:35-40 – Wednesday of the Third Week in Easter)

A story is told about a pilot who always looked down intently on a certain valley…
… when the plane passed overhead.

One day his co-pilot asked, “What’s so interesting about that spot?”

The pilot replied: “See that stream?

Well, when I was a kid I used to sit down there on a log and fish.

Every time an airplane flew over, I would look up and wish I were flying…
… now I look down and wish I were fishing.”

There is a deep craving for satisfaction and fulfilment, inside every creature,
One is restless till this thirst is fulfilled…
One is impatient till this craving is satisfied…

This ‘longing’ is innate in every human being…
… a thirst for the Divine, for the Transcendental.

This ‘longing’ compels humans…
… to search… to seek…
… for the source of satisfaction
… for the fountain of fulfilment

But how wonderful it would be to be knowing and to be convinced that this “thirst” can find its fulfilment only in God.

The Gospel of the Day presents Jesus promising this fulfilment and contentment to all those who come to Him and believe in Him – the Bread of Life.

Jesus declares, “I am the Bread of Life; He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn 6: 35)

The crowds who had been fed by Jesus, by the miracle of the multiplication of loaves, came in search of Jesus…
… probably expecting more!

They wanted still more… and they express this to Jesus, “Sir, give us this bread always” (Jn 6:34)

In John Chapter 4, we read the story of the Samaritan woman, by the well of Jacob, who had also expressed a similar desire.

She said to Jesus “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water” (Jn 4: 15)

Each of us, deep within, are ‘longing’…
… to drink water and eat food that will quench the longing, forever.

It is this search that makes people to go out and seek the various sources of satisfaction.

Some feel to have found this fulfilment…
… through worldly pleasures and bad habits like smoking, drinking, obsession with sex, drugs etc, which only lead to momentary external satisfaction and short-lived bursts of thrill.

Some feel to have found this fulfilment…
… in the various philosophies, new-age patterns of life and naturalistic means of spirituality etc, which may have traces of truth, but fail to provide authentic and fullness of life.

The Book of the Acts of the Apostles records one such notable example of Saul.

Saul (who is also called Paul) failed to understand and grasp “The Truth” and persecuted all those who followed “The Way!”

“But Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house; dragging off both men and women, he committed them to prison.” (Acts 8:3)

But Jesus, today, boldly and unambiguously declares that it’s only in HIM that true and complete fulfilment of life can be found:
“He who comes to me shall not hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst” (Jn 6: 35)

Are we convinced of this fact, that it’s only in Jesus, that I can achieve true and complete happiness…?

The Lord, today, calls us back to Him…
… to His Heart
… to His Church
… to His Eucharist
… to experience Him fully.

To those who have strayed…
… the call of the Gospel, is to come back to the paths of truth

To those who are holding on to Him…
… the call of the Gospel, is to deepen the conviction, that in Him alone, can the hunger of my soul and the thirst of my heart be fulfilled.

To those who have strayed…
… the Lord invites to build the virtues of humility, docility and openness to the Spirit.

To those who are holding on to Him…
… the Lord invites to build the virtues of patience, firm trust and a passionate longing.

May Jesus, the Bread of Life, always be the source, strength and summit of our Christian living!

God Bless! Live Jesus!