LIFE TO THE FULL
This
is one of the most beautiful self-descriptions of Jesus in the Bible. A
common image was that of the shepherd in Ancient Palestine. Many have
tried to recapture the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd in art and song.
The sheep of the Ancient East were called by name and given special
treatment. Sheep are known to be fussy animals; they do not like cold
weather. They don’t even like stirred water; they only follow familiar
sounds.
One
interesting technique of the shepherds is to lie across the passage of
the sheepfold at night. The sheep are all called in to the sheepfold,
away from the dangers of the night in the form of wolves and thieves.
Jesus here calls Himself the gate — the passage through which the sheep
enter. He has given us access to His life and He wants to give us life
to the full. The thief, namely Satan, wants to destroy us and keep us
away from the benefits that Jesus offers.
The
resurrection of Jesus that we celebrate these days focuses on the life
that Jesus offers us. For 40 days, we celebrate Jesus who has risen,
conquered death and sin, and shows us the way to eternal life. All of us
are looking for life. This Easter season teaches us that there is life
eternal in Jesus alone. In Him we find pasture, that is, goodness for
our souls, mercy and peace, justice and love. However, we tend to think
that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. The first
thing we want to do when we encounter problems is to escape to the other
side. We want to avoid pain, suffering and death. However, in the life,
death and
resurrection of Jesus, we see that there is a way out of every sin and
every problem that we encounter.
The
sheep in the story takes no notice of the thief or brigand. They do not
recognize his voice. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, speaks and we hear His
voice. We need to learn to hear that voice, not those of others that
cause confusion and disorder in our lives. There are many voices but
only one is the voice of the Good Shepherd. Let us learn to listen to
the voice, a voice that speaks of peace for His people and friends
(Psalm 122). Fr. Brian Steele, MGL
REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you living a life of grace or living a state of sin and death?
Lord, send Your light and Your truth, and let these be my guide. Amen.
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