Good Shepherd Sunday and Congratulations to the FIrst Communicants and their families!

Good Shepherd Sunday and Congratulations to the First Communicants and their families!

Once, a gentleman shared with me a life story. His son and family don't go to church regularly. When he was visiting he took granddaughter to church for Mass. The little girl was observing everything. Finally they went to receive communion. During the communion they both went up, Grandpa received Jesus and she got a blessing. On the way back to the pew she asked, “Grandpa when am I going to get one of those?” Grandpa told her, “I will talk to your mom and dad and make sure in a couple of years you will receive First Communion.” Then grandpa knelt down and prayed and she kept watching the priest. When the priest went to the  tabernacle to keep the Blessed Sacrament, she asked, “Grandpa look, what is he doing? Is he putting it in the microwave?”

Our children observe everything and they are curious to learn. Our children were preparing to make their First Communion, they are ready, full of joy. How many of us remember that joy filled day in our life? Have we grown in our love of the Eucharist or is it diminished? We are in Eucharistic Revival years, an invitation to relearn and grow in love for Eucharist. One place I recommend to go and sign up for the newsletter is: 10th National Eucharistic Congress - Official Website. There is lots of information. Let us learn and grow, at the same time let us Congratulate our children on their First Communion and let us continue to pray that they will grow deeper and deeper in love for the Eucharist.

As we continue our Easter celebration, we are in Fourth Sunday of Easter which is known as Good Shepherd Sunday and it is the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” The scripture lessons for this weekend are about the role of the shepherd. Each year, on this Sunday we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who devotedly and kindly takes care of his flock.

Even though today’s Gospel is from prior to Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, we need to read this  passage (John 10:11-18) in the light of the Easter season. Jesus presents two kinds of shepherds: shepherd who owns and cares for sheep and the shepherd who is hired by a farmer to care for sheep. The hired shepherd may run away when there is a danger. Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd,… I will lay down my life for the sheep.” During the Easter Triduum, we celebrated liturgy and meditated on the Good Shepherd, Jesus laying down his life on the Cross and through Resurrection made us a new creation. Jesus leads his flock away from dangers and into safe pastures – New Exodus – leading us from slavery of sin to freedom of life.

We see in the Old Testament, God was the divine shepherd of Israel Psalm 23:1. Isaiah 40:11. In the Book of Revelation 7:17, we read, “For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” In the Book of Numbers 27:16-17, we read the Moses request to the Lord, “May the LORD, the God of the spirits of all humanity, set over the community someone who will be their leader in battle and who will lead them out and bring them in, that the LORD’s community may not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

Ezekiel 34 we read the parable of the shepherds. Here the prophet painted the wicked shepherds, who fed on their flock rather than feeding them. God declares divine kingship over Israel: “I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest—oracle of the Lord GOD” (Ezekiel 34:15).

When Jesus presented the two types of shepherds, people of the time could picture this scene in their mind. It was part of their life. They have lived and seen both of the groups. Jesus is the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. At the Last Supper Jesus broke the bread and gave it to his disciples and said, this is my Body, take and eat. He commanded them to do this in memory of him. Like the Apostles, we are also fed at his table and send out breaks and share ourselves with others.

When we become the Eucharistic people, we are following the example of our good shepherd – Jesus. At the end of every Mass, we are sent out to live the Eucharist. Let us renew our commitment today with our    children who are making First Communion, as we receive Holy Communion and go out to make his name known and loved by sharing our lives with others.