The Good Shepherd Sunday.
Good morning/evening every one. Our special welcome to all our visitors today. Once a shepherd travelled with Einstein and Einstein said, "Wow...everything is possible with united airlines. And by the way, we have a long way to go and why can' t we do something...more like a bet. The shepherd said, "What bet?" Then Einstein said, "I will ask a question and if you don't know the answer, you pay me fifty bucks and you ask me a question and if I don't know, I will pay you ten thousand dollars. The shepherd said, "That sounds fine". Then Einstein said, "What is the speed of light that can be easily calculated and controlled by the distance between the sun and earth coming through the moon?. The shepherd said, "What...?' Then he paid him fifty dollars and then the shepherd looked at him and said, "What is the animal goes up a mountain with three legs and comes down with four legs?' Einstein was so confused, "What is the animal goes up on a mountain with three legs and comes down with four legs... Then he ended up paying the shepherd ten thousand dollars. Then Einstein said, "Before asking a question, what is that animal...? The shepherd gave him fifty bucks saying, "I don't know either".
Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates 'Good Shepherd Sunday'. This Sunday invites us to surrender ourselves to Christ the Good Shepherd who leads us to eternal life.
Once a man was interpreting Psalm 23rd according to today's situation saying,
"The TV is my shepherd and there is nothing I shall want.
It makes me lie down on the couch.
It leads me away from my faith and destroys my soul.
It leads me to sex and violence for the advertisers' sake.
Even though I walk in the shadow of Catholic responsibilities,
There will be no interruption,
For the TV is with me.
It's cable and remote control,
They comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the midst of my worldliness and
Anoints my head with secular humanism and secularism.
Surely ignorance and laziness will follow me all the days of my life and
I shall dwell in the house of wretchedness watching TV forever.
- Once two people were asked to recite the famous Psalm 23rd ...The Lord is my Shepherd and there is nothing I shall want. The first man who was a powerful orator got up and with all his modulations of voice recited the psalm, every one got up clapped hands and cheered for him...Then the other man got up and repeated the same words. But this time, there was no clap or cheer... there was a deep meditative silence. There was a devotional and prayerful mood. Then the orator got up and said, "The difference between the old man I was....I know the Psalm but the old man knows the shepherd". Today we are called to know the Shepherd personally and say, "The Lord is my shepherd and there is nothing I shall want". The Good Shepherd knows us and lead us to life and happiness.
- One day a little sheep saw a hole in the fence and through which he escaped. He wandered far and forgot his way back. Then he realized that he was being followed by a wolf. He ran and ran but the wolf kept following him until the shepherd came and rescued him. Then He carried the sheep to the fold. After that, many of his family members, friends and others came to him saying, "your sheep are escaping through the hole in the fence, nail it up..." But he never did. He is our Good Shepherd who gives us all complete freedom to choose between good and bad; between life and death, between light and darkness and between heaven and earth. Even we choose otherwise and feel bad, He comes to us saying, "I am here for the lost sheep and thus saves us. He calls us by name and gives us life. He is the gate for the sheep.
- Christ the Good Shepherd says, "His sheep will not listen and follow strangers but only the shepherd". He loves His sheep and gives eternal life. Once there happened a conversation between a recent convert and his friend. The friend said, "So you have been converted to Catholicism?" Yes...I am. Then you should know Jesus and His life. Tell me where and when He was born. The convert said, "I am not quiet sure though". Then tell me about how many sermons He preached and how many miracles and wonders He performed. The convert said, "I don't know..." The friend said, "you don't know much about Christ and you claim to be converted to Christianity". The convert then said, "Yes, I am ashamed at how little I know about Christ but this much I do know...three years ago, I was a drunkard, I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces. My wife and my children hated me and they did not even talk to me. But now I have given up drinking and we are out of debt; ours is a happy family. All this happened because of Christ the Good Shepherd. This much I know.
- Today we also celebrate 'Vocation Sunday'. Let us pray for vocation to priesthood and religious life. I remember in the last church, we had a very good altar server and he came to every mass and did a fabulous job and people just loved him and they all often looked at him and congratulated him and said, "one day...you will be a priest...."After hearing that he would be a priest one day, he stopped coming to church. It is a call and all we have to do is just encouraging them to involve more in the church and praying for children but not pushing them.
- Let us pray and ask our Good shepherd to continue to bless these children who are going to receive first Communion today. God bless. Amen.
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