Jesus is our Good Shepherd.

LORD JESUS, YOU ARE MY GOOD SHEPHERD. I AM YOUR CLUELESS LAMB. I BELIEVE YOU ARE WATCHING OVER ME NIGHT AND DAY. NO HAIR FALLS FROM MY HEAD WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION.

"Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” (John 10: 27 - 30).

Sunday 8th May 2022, of the 4th Week in Easter. Good Shepherd Sunday.

Jesus declares in the Gospel today that He alone is our Good Shepherd. What does it mean that Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd?
The Church is a family, a sheepfold and Jesus is the necessary gateway into the Sanctuary. God has foretold in the Scriptures that God Himself would be the Shepherd of this flock. 

What does a Good Shepherd do?
He feeds His flock and leads them to rest when they are tired. When we stray from the fold, He searches for us and brings us back. He rescues us from vicious beasts, from hurricanes and flood.

Our experience has thought us that there are false shepherds. They are everywhere: Church, schools, businesses, politicians, police, etc. With this in mind, we can appreciate much more our Good Shepherd. Scripture describes our Good Shepherd as a Lamb who is also a Shepherd. He is gentle, kind and merciful.

Now that we know how tenderly our Good Shepherd knows, loves and cares for us ("Just as the Father knows me and I know the Father"), how do we respond to this revelation? 

Psalm 23 is the picture perfect of Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd.
"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit."

Psalm 23 is the personal experience of King David. David experienced God so close and so intimately in various circumstances of his life and penned Psalm 23 as a testimony of his gratitude.

Think of this for a moment. If the Lord is truly our Good Shepherd, if we recognize His voice and follow Him, we can claim and own all the promises of Psalm 23. This is what Jesus means when He says: "I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." (John 10: 10).

5.8. "Therefore, as St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem, asserts, the archangel Gabriel called her [Mary] full of grace: “Ave gratia plena;” because whilst to others, as the saint above mentioned remarks, limited grace is given, to Mary it was given in fulness. And thus it was ordered, as St. Basil attests, that in this way she might become the worthy mediatrix between God and men. For if the Virgin had not been full of divine grace, as St. Lawrence Justinian adds, how could she be the ladder of paradise, the advocate of the world, and the true mediatrix between God and men?" (St Alphonsus Liguori).

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Lord to whom shall we go to, You are the Son of God.

MY FATHER IN HEAVEN, HOW GOOD IT IS TO KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY FATHER AND THAT I AM YOUR CHILD! ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SKIES OF MY SOUL ARE CLOUDY AND MY CROSS WEIGHS MORE HEAVILY, I FEEL THE NEED TO REPEAT TO YOU: FATHER, I BELIEVE IN YOUR LOVE FOR ME.

"Many of the disciples of Jesus who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? ..... It is the Spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.”

"Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and the one who would betray him. .....
As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer walked with him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?” Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6: 60....69).

Saturday 7th May, of the 3rd Week of Easter is First Saturday in May. The Universal Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary on Saturdays.

The multitude that followed Jesus, many of them for the hope of eating free bread and fish were highly scandalized when Jesus spoke about eating His flesh and drinking His blood. They protested but Jesus did not apologize but instead doubled down on the same idea. They abandoned Jesus and His ministry on the spot and went home preferring to forget the time they invested in Jesus as a worthless sacrifice.

"Jesus then said to the Twelve, “Do you also want to leave?”  Simon Peter answered him, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

Those who did not abandon Jesus over His teachings on the Bread of life must know and believe that without Jesus, we can do absolutely nothing. Not a little. But nothing. I like the way Jesus put this in His locution to a Benedictine monk:

"Outside of Me there is nothing for you, and with Me, in My presence, is all that your heart desires.  Do not look outside of Me for anything to fulfil your heart’s desires. Instead, hide yourself in Me, as I hide myself for love of you in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar." (IN SINU JESU, Tuesday, September 20, 2011).

Do you nurse some hope that this world will fulfill the desires of your heart with regard to health, family, job, money and social and material possessions? Forget it.

Let us repeat with Peter in deep faith: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”

5. 7 "Saturday is the day that, by a special title, belongs to My Mother in her solitude and hope. You will live every Saturday in her company, celebrating whenever possible her Mass and the Divine Office in her honour, and offering her a token of special filial affection." (IN SINU JESU).

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The Eucharist contains everything we need for life and eternity.

"THE EUCHARIST IS TRANSFORMING FOR ALL WHO RECEIVE ME WITH FAITH AND WITH CONFIDENT DEVOTION, BUT IT IS ESPECIALLY SO FOR MY PRIESTS." (IN SINU JESU).

"The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his Flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man and drink his Blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my Flesh is true food, and my Blood is true drink. Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven." (John 6: 52..... 59).

Friday May 6th 2022, 3rd Week in the Easter Season.

We continue with the Bread of life Discourse in the 6th Chapter of the Gospel of St John where eating and drinking the Body and Blood of Jesus is the dominant theme of this Easter Season so far.

It has been said that the best interpretation of the Gospel is the Example of the saints who are faithful and true witnesses to Jesus and His Way. Let us read below how some of the saints bore witness to the truth of the Bread of life Discourse.

"Jesus has made Himself the Bread of Life to give us life. Night and day, He is there. If you really want to grow in love, come back to the Eucharist, come back to that Adoration." (Mother St Teresa of Kolkata).

"From the Eucharist comes strength to live the Christian life and zeal to share that life with others."  (Pope St John Paul II).

"Holy Communion is the shortest and safest way to heaven." (Pope St Pius X).

"There is nothing so great as the Eucharist. If God had something more precious, He would have given it to us." (St John Vianney).

"The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life." "The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch." (CCC 1324).

My flesh is real food and My blood is real drink says the Lord.

5. 6 "St. Bernard asks, Why does the Church name Mary Queen of Mercy? and answers, Because we believe that she opens the depths of the mercy of God, to whom she will, when she will, and as she will; so that not even the vilest sinner is lost, if Mary protects him."

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Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass and receiving the Holy Communion.

First Friday, May 6, 2022.

Jesus promised 12 special graces and favors to all those who will honor His Sacred Heart especially on the First Friday of every month by attending Holy Mass and receiving Holy Communion.  In the 5th month of the year 2022, we look at Promise #5.

#5.  "I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings."
I like this one very much.

We celebrated the feast of St Joseph the Worker on May 1st. St Joseph is the patron saint of men and women who earn their livelihood from any kind of work.  St Joseph will intercede for workers for success and prosperity in all their understandings. Don't hesitate to ask for his help and do it often.  St Joseph is the Patron Saint of my work of life. I call on him every day for his help and I have never been disappointed. If you honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Jesus will give you His foster father to help you.

Sacred Heart of Jesus come to our help and prosper the work of our hands.

Honor the Sacred Heart of Jesus this Friday by attending Holy Mass and receiving the Holy Communion.

For the 12 Promises of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacred Heart devotional prayers and prayer intentions click the link below:

http://seekfirst.blogspot.com/2020/08/12-promises-of-sacred-heart-of-jesus.html?m=1

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I AM The Bread of Life.

DAILY CONSUMPTION OF THE WORD OF GOD SHOULD LEAD TO DAILY EXPERIENCE OF BAPTISM. THIS SHOULD TRIGGER HUNGER FOR THE EUCHARIST. THE EUCHARIST LEADS TO HOLY SPIRIT INVASION. THIS IS THE ABUNDANT LIFE OF JOHN 10: 10.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.” (John 6: 44 - 51).

Thursday 5th May 2022, of the 3rd Week of Easter.

What does Jesus mean that He is the bread of life?
Jesus  gives us Himself as our nourishment. What does the Church teach about the Bread of life?

"It [Eucharist] refers directly to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ, the "medicine of immortality," without which we have no life within us......The Eucharist is our daily bread. The power belonging to this divine food makes it a bond of union. Its effect is then understood as unity, so that, gathered into his Body and made members of him, we may become what we receive.  This also is our daily bread." (CCC 2837)

In the Eucharist, we receive who we are, the Body of Christ. Now we must become what we receive, the Body of Christ, St Augustine teaches.

Jesus also says in Gospel of today:  "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life." (John 6: 47).

Eternal life starts right here and right now with BELIEF in Jesus. In the Eucharist we are challenged to exercise the highest kind of faith in human experience. The bread you see looks, tastes and smells like ordinary bread. Once the words of consecration are pronounced over it, it becomes the Flesh of Jesus Christ. Same with the wine when it is consecrated, it becomes the Blood of Jesus. Can you now understand why most of His disciples abandoned Him when Jesus unveiled this doctrine.
Many protestants mock Catholics for believing in the True and Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Jesus Himself says "Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life." (John 6: 47).

5.5 Day 5 in May. Let us reflect on some attributes of Mary from the Litany of Loretto:

Mother of God
Mother of Christ
Mother of the Church
MOTHER of Mercy
Mother of divine grace
MOTHER of Hope

Do you understand what they mean? Google each attribute.

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A severe persecution in Jerusalem created the first missionary opportunity.

GOD IS THE EXPERT IN MAKING BAD FRIDAYS INTO GOOD FRIDAYS. GOD MAKES THE BLOOD OF MARTYRS THE SEED OF CHRISTIANITY.

"There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles......

Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Thus Philip went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city." (Acts 8: 1....8).

Wednesday May 4th 2022 in the 3rd week of Easter.

The persecution that followed the martyrdom of Stephen scattered the first Christians everywhere. The death of Jesus and Stephen similar in a number of ways was no accident.  This persecution that followed the martyrdom of Stephen was preordained.

The circumstances of your call and answer to the ministry may not always be neat and foreseen by you. . Hurricane, flood , fire or persecution may chase you into the land of your ministry opportunity. It could be the providential downsizing of your company or the death of a spouse.
Whatever the circumstances, be prepared to say Yes to Jesus at the first call.

Philip, the Deacon fled Jerusalem and landed in Samaria. What did he do? He preached the Good News in his new home and converted a large number of people to Christ the Lord. (Cf Acts 8: 5 - 8).

Necessity is the mother of invention. The mother eagle shakes out the nest so that the complacent little eaglets will learn to fly and embrace their life's mission.

Be alert. Be vigilant. Jesus may come like a thief in the night.

5.4 "Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman [Mary] bore. She ruled our Ruler; she carried Him in whom we are; she gave milk to our Bread." - St. Augustine

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Ask anything in line with My plan for your life and it will be yours.

HE WHO PRAYS MOST RECEIVES MOST. (ST ALPHONSUS LIGUORI, BISHOP & DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH).

"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." (John 14: 13 - 14).

Tuesday 3rd May 2022, in the 3rd Week of Easter is the feast of the Apostles Philip and James. Philip and James were among the 12 Apostles of Jesus. Philip introduced Bartholomew (Nathanael) to Jesus. According to tradition, he was crucified in Phrygia.
St James was the cousin of Jesus. He was the first Bishop of Jerusalem. He was thrown down from the terrace of the Temple and then stoned to death.

In our key Scripture for today, Jesus repeats for emphasis: "Ask anything of me in my name, I will do it."  Why the emphasis? According to Catholic tradition, most writers on the subject of Prayer would answer simply: Because Jesus means every word of His promises on Prayer. How about the man in the pew, how does he view the promises of Jesus on Prayer? A lot of scepticism.  Scepticism that is born of ignorance. They know neither the Scriptures or the power of God. (Cf Matthew 22: 29).
"God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?" (Numbers 23: 19).

How about me, the writer? Do I believe in the promises of Jesus on Prayer? Absolutely! I would not have answered with such certainty a decade ago. Investment in the study of Sacred Scripture and the writings of the saints on Prayer made the difference. There are two rich resources on Prayer by St Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church and St Claude de la Colombiere under the titles of UNIFORMITY WITH GOD'S WILL and TRUSTFUL SURRENDER TO DIVINE PROVIDENCE respectively. These two works are pamphlets that you can read several times in a day. Both will change your mind on Prayer.

How can we test Jesus' faithfulness to His promises on Prayer if we do not pray? My friend, there is only one way to prove this truth: JUST PRAY AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS!

"This is the [remarkable degree of] confidence which we [as believers are entitled to] have before Him: that if we ask anything according to His will, [that is, consistent with His plan and purpose] He hears us." (1 John 5: 4 AMP).

5.3 "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided." (St Bernard of Clairvaux, Doctor of the Church).

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The Feast of St Athanasius of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

THIS IS THE WORK OF GOD. BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST. EVERYTHING ELSE WILL FOLLOW.

"Rabbi, when did you get here?” Jesus answered them and said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled. Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” So they said to him, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” (John 6: 22.... 29).

Monday 2nd May 2022, of the 3rd Week in the Easter Season is the feast of St Athanasius of Alexandria, Egypt (297 - 373) Bishop and Doctor of the Church.  Athanasius is rightly called the Father of Orthodoxy. Athanasius was a key light at the Council of Nicaea (325), where he defended vigorously that Jesus Christ is true God (100%) and true Man (100%). He defended this truth all his life and suffered much persecution from the Arians including several exiles. Athanasius' other great contribution to the early Church is the Life of St Anthony the Great, known also as St Anthony of the Desert or St Anthony of Egypt). Athanasius had personal acquaintance with St Anthony. The biography of the great Desert monk became the gold standard for monastic rules for the Church both in the East and the West.

Many people followed Jesus for food with the hope of money, healing and job.  They cared very little for the agenda of Jesus. Jesus told them: "Man does not live on bread alone. There is life for him in every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4: 4).

Jesus expands on this teaching in our key Scripture for today. He says to the crowd:
"Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him the Father, God, has set his seal.” (John 6: 27).

What are the food that endures for eternal life? Consider faith, hope, charity and the Word of God. No one can purchase faith, hope and love.

“What can we do to accomplish the works of God?”  Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.”

Jesus gave them an uncomplicated answer: Faith in Jesus whom God sent for the salvation of humanity. Faith is greater than gold and silver. Faith is imperishable.

5.2. “Woe to those who despise devotion to Mary! ... The soul cannot live without having recourse to Mary and recommending itself to her. He falls and is lost who does not have recourse to Mary.” (St Alphonsus Liguori).

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