Yesterday, in the Antipolo Cathedral, a mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Jeffrey Santos. And I was moved by his sermon.
His sermon was about the gospel yesterday:
Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father."
And then he began the sermon. He asked us. “Why do you think, of all the animals, the sheep was chosen by Jesus Christ, to carry on His shoulders?” Nobody answered. But I was thinking. Maybe because the sheep was tame. But it wasn’t the answer.
The priest said that he has researched something from the Internet. He found out that the sheep have one unique characteristic. The sheep cannot eat or drink if they lose sight of their fellow sheep, therefore worrying if they also are, in good condition as him. This not-so-common characteristic of the sheep is called “gregariousness”. The priest said, when he looked in the dictionary, gregariousness means seeking and enjoying the company of others, marked by or indicating a liking for companionship.
But how is this related to the sheep that is carried by Jesus, the Good Shepherd? The people are the sheep. We are the sheep of Christ. We are naturally born with that characteristic, “gregariousness”. But as some people influence our daily lives, we tend to lose that characteristic. Fr. Jeffrey said that only few people now are sheep. Only people with concern for what other people feel are called the “sheep”. Only people who care for other people’s lives without thinking of what they will gain by doing that are the ones who are righteous to be called “the sheep of Christ”.
We are fond of practicing the “kanya-kanya” attitude. The attitude in which we are not in concern of what consequences our actions may produce. The attitude present in people who do not even care if other people are suffering as long as they, are in good condition.
Therefore the whole message of the priest is: “Where are the sheep? Where are the people who care for others more than themselves? Are you one of them? The Lord is looking for you.”
I will close this blog with just a simple statement: A shepherd can never be a shepherd without a flock of sheep. Are you one of the sheep of The Good Shepherd? If you are, present yourself to the Lord try to be an inspiration for others to follow. If you are not, try being one. We are still very young. We, the youth, can still be sheep of Christ if, we practice being gregarious. We can still achieve many things. Let this be one of them.
Lux In Domino!
His sermon was about the gospel yesterday:
Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father."
And then he began the sermon. He asked us. “Why do you think, of all the animals, the sheep was chosen by Jesus Christ, to carry on His shoulders?” Nobody answered. But I was thinking. Maybe because the sheep was tame. But it wasn’t the answer.
The priest said that he has researched something from the Internet. He found out that the sheep have one unique characteristic. The sheep cannot eat or drink if they lose sight of their fellow sheep, therefore worrying if they also are, in good condition as him. This not-so-common characteristic of the sheep is called “gregariousness”. The priest said, when he looked in the dictionary, gregariousness means seeking and enjoying the company of others, marked by or indicating a liking for companionship.
But how is this related to the sheep that is carried by Jesus, the Good Shepherd? The people are the sheep. We are the sheep of Christ. We are naturally born with that characteristic, “gregariousness”. But as some people influence our daily lives, we tend to lose that characteristic. Fr. Jeffrey said that only few people now are sheep. Only people with concern for what other people feel are called the “sheep”. Only people who care for other people’s lives without thinking of what they will gain by doing that are the ones who are righteous to be called “the sheep of Christ”.
We are fond of practicing the “kanya-kanya” attitude. The attitude in which we are not in concern of what consequences our actions may produce. The attitude present in people who do not even care if other people are suffering as long as they, are in good condition.
Therefore the whole message of the priest is: “Where are the sheep? Where are the people who care for others more than themselves? Are you one of them? The Lord is looking for you.”
I will close this blog with just a simple statement: A shepherd can never be a shepherd without a flock of sheep. Are you one of the sheep of The Good Shepherd? If you are, present yourself to the Lord try to be an inspiration for others to follow. If you are not, try being one. We are still very young. We, the youth, can still be sheep of Christ if, we practice being gregarious. We can still achieve many things. Let this be one of them.
Lux In Domino!
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment