THEME: JESUS OUR TRUE SHEPHERD (Acts 14:21-27; Rev. 21:1-5; Jn. 13:31-33, 34-35)

Christ is our Shepherd; we are his sheep, not dumb animals (sheep), but voluntary followers of Christ the leader. Today, we celebrate the Good Shepherd Sunday, in a society that good leaders have become so scares, that people are following themselves. But Christ is a good leader, who as his followers, we are called to emulate. As our shepherd, he “knows” (Jn. 10:27) each or us by name; and “the sheep hears the voice of the shepherd as he calls them one by one”. The sheep have a wonderful instinct of recognising the voice of their own shepherd and they follow their shepherd to wherever he led them.  The questions we need to ask ourselves today include: Do we take the time out to listen to Jesus’ voice in our prayers? Do we listen to the voice of Jesus coming through others as instruments of His love and care?

Today, the Good Shepherd Sunday is also known as the ‘Vocation Sunday’. It is a day of special prayer for those who are ‘shepherds’ in the church, our homes and leaders of the world.  Shepherding is not a vocation confined only to the leaders in the Church; every Christian is called to be both a follower of Christ and a shepherd for others through love and care. We are challenged by the example of Jesus as a good shepherd and true leader, to provide quality and selfless leadership wherever we are chosen to lead. The leadership of Jesus is an example for us to follow.

We pray today in a special way for all women as we celebrate them. May God continue to strengthen them in their respective and different roles as mother’s and leaders. I place all LADIES under the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel. To preserve unity and peace in the Church and in our society, and to gather together all people into one fold, Christ needs shepherds like him who can lead his flock. May all Ladies, Women, Mothers, strive to be source of unity and peace, in the church, family and society.

There seems to be three classes of followers of Good Shepherd: i. the few who make things happen, ii. the many who watch things happen and iii. the majority who have no notion of what happens in the Church and in the world. To which class do we want to belong?

Happy Sunday!

Happy Mother’s Day!