Good Shepherd

Good shepherd Sunday 

Once a very rich man shared his story to a group of people in a church saying, "There was a time in my life, I didn't have anything to live on. My life was meaningless and then one day, I came to this beautiful 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 billionaire". It is always good to give to God will give us more and more".  Then from the back of the church, someone said, "Now I dare you to do it again". 

Once a Sunday school teacher asked her children to memorize the famous Psalm 23rd. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures and He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He makes me walk in the right paths in His name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil. You are with me. Your rod and your staff. They comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil and my cup overflows. Surely goodness and merch shall follow me all the days of my life. I will dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long".  

One of the boys tried to memorize the Psalm... I remember some children calling it, Psalm. But he could not remember at all. As everyone reciting the Psalm, Michael stood up to recite but he got nervous and he said proudly, "The Lord is my shepherd and that is all I need to know". 

Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates 'Good Shepherd Sunday'. This day, we in a special way pray for vocations both religious and priestly. In the gospel, Jesus says, "I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for His sheep. The hired hand who is not the shepherd and who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away. And the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the Good shepherd and I know my own and my own knows me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep". 

If you don't get goose bumps for these words of Christ, I can definitely say that you don't have skin.  

The Good Shepherd protects His sheep 

Once a burglar (thief) broke into a home and was looking around. Then he heard a soft voice saying, "Jesus is watching you". Thinking that was 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 and said, "who in the right mind would name a parrot Moses?" Then the parrot 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, will abandon the sheep and run away. In the time of Jesus, there were so many false prophets and preachers and they let people into astray and misguided them saying God was a punishing God. But Jesus the Good Shepherd came and announced about the unconditional love of God saying that God is our Father and we are his children. He is our Good Shepherd who lays down His life for us. 

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 the 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 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. 

Conclusion:  

Let us pray to the Good Shepherd who lead us to life and lead us to joy and happiness. Yes, let us join the Psalmist and say, 'the Lord is my shepherd and I shall want nothing".