Good Shepherd Sunday

Good shepherd Sunday


Introduction: Good morning every one, I am so happy to welcome you all for today’s Holy Mass. My special welcome to all our parishioners, visitors and every one who are here today, dear friends every time we come to church we celebrate our Good shepherd who feeds us finest wheat, celebrates our Good Shepherd who protects us with love and every time we come to Church we celebrate the Good Shepherd who leads us to everlasting life.

The Good Shepherd feeds His flock:

One day a millionaire shared his story to a group of people in the church saying, “ There was a time in my life, I did not have anything to live on. My life was meaningless and then one day I came to this church and listen to divine words. At that time, I had only a dollar and I gave everything, the whole dollar to God and that day God blessed me highly and today because of my giving, I became a millionaire”. It is always good to give and God will give us more and more” Then from the back of the church some one said, “now I dare you to do it again”.

The Lord is my shepherd and nothing I shall want. Jesus says, “I am the Good shepherd and I lay down my life for my sheep. The Lord feeds His flock with finest wheat and He takes them to green pastures and gives them life-giving water. When people were hungry and looking for something to eat, the apostles said to Jesus, “ Lord, they listened to your words and have received healing since it is a deserted place there is nothing for them to eat and the time is getting late. Let us send them away and our compassionate Lord said, why can’t you feed them and then He multiplied the loaves and fish and fed them all. He feeds them physically and spiritually. Every time He healed the sick, the apostles and the people who were around Him came to know that sickness and physically challenges were not caused by their sin but they were for the glory of God. He gave His own body and blood so that we might have life everlasting. He is our true food and He is our true drink and there is no life apart from Him. Let us taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

The Good Shepherd protects His sheep

Once a burglar (thief) broke into a home and was looking around. He heard a soft voice saying, “Jesus is watching you”. Thinking it was just his imagination, he continued his search and then he heard the same voice saying, “Jesus is watching you”. He turned his flash light on and saw a parrot in a cage and asked the parrot if he was the one talking and the parrot said, “yes”. He asked, “what is your name?’ the parrot said, “Moses” The burglar began to laugh saying, “who in the right mind would name a little parrot Moses” the parrot looked at him and said, ‘the same person who named a pit bull Jesus”.

Jesus says that hired hands or people who do their jobs for money will not protect the sheep. When danger and challenges arise, they will abandon the sheep and run away. In the time of Jesus, there were so many false prophets and preachers and they led people into astray and misguided them saying God was a punishing god and He would be policing people and would judge them in a cruel way. But Jesus the Good Shepherd came and announced about the unconditional love of God saying that God is our Father and we are His precious children. Though we go away from God, like the father of the prodigal son, He would search and long for us. Jesus is our Good shepherd who laid His life for His sheep. When we are with Him, we will be protected and be given life that will never end.

The Good Shepherd leads us to everlasting life.

One day two Canadian Jewish friends were talking to each other and one said, ‘ I sent my son to Israel thinking that he would be a better Jew but he came back a Christian and the other said, the same thing happened to my son too. So they went to their Rabbi and complained and the rabbi looked at them and said, the same thing happened to me too. My son came home a Christian. So the three prayed to God saying, “God, we sent our sons to Israel and they came back Christians and then they heard a voice saying, ‘It is funny that you should mention that.”

No one promises us everlasting life or can give us hope for tomorrow but our Lord Jesus Christ the Good shepherd not only feed us and protect us but also will lead us to everlasting life, Jesus says Father and I are one. In me you will have life that will never end. When we hold on to Jesus, we will have only life and happiness.
Conclusion:

Dear friends, as followers of Christ let us imitate Him and help others to know the Good shepherd and thus experience healing and forgiveness. Let us help others to experience spiritual wholeness and thus to prepare themselves to enter into the one fold. Amen.