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By Bishop John, May 21, 2011 5:33 am

The joy of Easter continues as these weeks of liturgical celebration lead us to the Feast of the Ascension and then on to Pentecost Sunday. This weekend, we celebrate the 5th Sunday of Easter and the sacred texts turn our attention to the concept of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. Over the centuries, the Church has used many images to convey the ideal relationship between ourselves and Jesus Christ. One of the most popular and most common is the idea of Jesus the Shepherd. This flows principally from the fact that he described himself as being the Shepherd.

In the first reading from St. Peter’s first epistle, states that through his suffering and death Jesus reaches out to us and draws us to himself as a shepherd would draw in straying sheep. Peter states, “Now you have returned to the shepherd the guardian of your souls!”

The Gospel is that delightful text from the tenth chapter of St. John where Jesus describes himself not only as a shepherd, but a brave shepherd and defender of his followers. Reminding us that the world is filled with thieves and marauders, we are not to worry because his strength is with us and will continue as long as we are faithful. This relationship is not merely one-sided. Jesus reminds us that while he knows his sheep that we are also to KNOW him. Our minds and hearts are to center on the historic reality of God present in the human story in the person of the second person of the Blessed Trinity. Jesus is with us, he is our Shepherd, but we must follow his leadership with faith and determination.

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By Bishop John, March 30, 2011 4:07 am

We are almost halfway through the holy season of Lent. We are halfway finished with what is intended by the Church to be a six week time of spiritual exercises which involves efforts on our part to concentrate on the ultimate reality of our faith – God and our relationship with him.
When we are at prayer are we conscious of the fact that we are in his presence? Can we get our thoughts around the awesome reality that this Infinite Being loves each one of us personally and has invited us to eternal life sharing in his infinite majesty and joy?
Have we tried to systematically put prayer into our daily life over these last three weeks, and if we have failed somewhat, can we recommit ourselves to intense morning prayer and reflective evening prayers to close out the day and a constant effort to make sure that our emotions are controlled and we don’t inflict pain on our fellow travelers in life?

Potentially, Lent is a great spiritual gift. Let’s not fail to utilize it effectively.

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