Last Sunday’s readings are a call to gather around Jesus, the Good Shepherd, so he can take us to Heaven.
In the first reading Paul and Barnabas were preaching the Gospel to fellow Jews and were had some initial success, but then there was jealousy from the leading Jews in the town. They stirred up trouble for the Apostles and objections to the Gospel. Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly:
We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans.
So, they shook the dust from their feet and moved onto the next town preaching to the pagans with great success, who welcomed the Gospel with joy. St Paul, who was a bishop, would continue his missionary work going from town to town, country to country, establishing communities of the Catholic Faith everywhere he went and ordaining Priests to care for the communities.
In the second reading, the Apostle John had a vision of the saints in Heaven, gathered around Jesus. They number was beyond counting. They were there because of the sacrifice of the Lamb, wearing white robes which represent the newness of life received through Baptism. They were holding palm branches which represent their ultimate victory through persevering in the Faith. The Elders represent the twelve Apostles and twelve Old Testament Patriarchs from the twelve tribes of Israel. The Lamb is also the Good Shepherd who shepherds us to the pastures of Heaven. By His wounds we are healed.
In the Gospel Jesus promises eternal life to His sheep, that is, those who listen to His voice and follow Him. If we stay united to Christ the Good Shepherd, nothing and no one will snatch us from Him because He is stronger than the evil one. We just need to persevere in prayer and be little and docile to the word of God and the authentic magisterium of the Church.
The early Christians had a special affection for the image of the Good Shepherd. Images can be seen in the catacombs beneath Rome, in ancient buildings, on gravestones, in mosaics and sculptures. The Old Testament referred to the coming Messiah as a Good Shepherd. The shepherd symbol which Jesus claimed for Himself is passed onto Peter and his successors. Jesus said to Peter:
Feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
So, the Pope is the rock of unity in the Church and guardian of the deposit of Faith. He shepherds and feeds the flock with true doctrine and defends the Church against errors and various dangerous ideologies of the day, contrary to the Faith.
We are grateful to have new Pope, Leo XIV. As the visible Head of the Church on earth, he has an enormous responsibility before God, to be the rock of unity in the Church. Jesus is the invisible Head and foundation the Church. There are many divisions in today’s Church, so the Pope has a daunting task of healing the damage done through division and in trying to bring healing and unity once again within the Mystical Body. It is necessary to pray for the Pope, so he will respond fully to the grace of his office. Due to the difficult times in which we are living and the level of evil in the world, we should be praying constantly and especially the Holy Rosary. This is the chain which links us to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our Heavenly Shepherdess. True devotion to Mary always leads to closer to Jesus and for a greater love for the Eucharist. St Therese of Lisieux who had a tender devotion to Our lady, described her First Holy Communion. She said:
It was like a fusion.
She felt that Jesus and her, were no longer two, but one. She described herself as being similar to a drop of water in the ocean of God’s love, she seemed to vanish, and Jesus alone remained. Let’s aim to make our Holy Communions similar to hers and to seek the face of the Lord in the Holy Mass and in Eucharistic Adoration. If you would like to sign up for Holy Hour, please see me after Mass. The Lord will give us many blessings for each hour spent in His Presence. We will only know the true value of the Holy Hour when we gain Heaven.
Praise be Jesus, our Eucharistic Lord, now and forever.