There’s a video trending on social
media that claims that all these smart devices we own are isolating us from
each other. Have you seen this video? Imagine this scene
at your dinner table: Joey can’t keep his eyes of his text messages. Samantha has her eyes glued to her Facebook
newsfeed in her iPhone. Dad is
constantly checking and responding to work emails on his blackberry. Maybe you’re the wife/mother who has just
made an elaborate meal and you’re frustrated because dinnertime is the best
time for a good family conversation but it feels like no one else is actually
there for it!
We all have probably felt lonely at
sometime in our lives, smart device or no smart device. We feel like tiny little islands with vast
oceans in between us. Loneliness hurts.
It makes life seem unimportant and trivial, like nobody wants to be in
our company. It can make these lyrics from the band Kutless’ song “Sea of Faces” ring true:
“I see the city lights all around me. Everyone's
obscure. Ten million people each with
their problems. Why should anyone care?” Read the next lyric in the song, however, and
you will hear a different tune (no pun intended): “And in Your eyes I can see: I am not just a man, vastly lost in this
world; lost in a Sea of Faces.” So,
maybe there is someone out there who sees us as not just some person but
someone special. Yes, that Person is
Jesus. Today’s Mass readings remind us
that He wants to have a special relationship with us.
In today’s Gospel passage we read: “The
gatekeeper opens [the gate] for him and the sheep hear his voice, as the
shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” Right
after today’s reading selection Jesus tells us that He is in fact the Good
Shepherd, so when you put that together with today’s reading, you find that
this Good Shepherd “calls his own sheep
by name.” If Jesus calls his sheep
by name He must value each of them and His relationship with each. His
willingness alone to give up His life for each
is more than enough indication of how much He values this relationship. He wants a personal relationship with each of us.
Now, let’s look at the first
reading. St. Peter, in the company of
the other apostles, is speaking to the people of Jerusalem about Christ and
preaching His message of repentance and conversion. Now, at this point the Man for whom they had
dedicated their lives is no longer living on earth in body. Because of this maybe the apostles felt a
sense of loneliness themselves; still though they pushed on spreading His
message wherever they went. This to me
is a sign that He was still with them, even though they couldn’t see Him. I think they must’ve been sustained by these
words that St. Peter shares in today’s reading: “’For the promise is made to
you and to your children, and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God
will call.’” What promise, you might
ask? Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: “I
came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Jesus wants to form with each of us a real, lasting friendship! He wants to transform and enrich our lives on
earth so that we may one day enjoy eternal life with Him!
Loneliness can cause us to wander
in life reaching out to temporal things (i.e. all of the smart devices that
were addressed in the beginning of this post).
These things can make us feel happy for only a short period of
time. Jesus is among us, however, hiding
in our hearts waiting for us to respond to His Love. In today’s second reading we are reminded
just how much He loves us and to the extent He went to demonstrate it. We are encouraged to cease our wandering and
return back to Him. His love brings
eternal happiness.
So, in summary, Jesus cares about
each of us immensely and wants us to get to know Him. He wants to pour out His Love on us and be
with us throughout our lives. I have
created this blog to help you and myself to deepen our relationship with
Him. I will share the Words of Jesus
from each Sunday’s Gospel and a motivational message that seems to pour out
from His words. His Mother, Mary, has a
special role in His work in our lives. After
all she gave us her Son. She loves us immensely too. This blog as a way for me to share the words
and wisdom of Jesus that comes to us through
the heart of His loving Mother with a hug.
Please feel free to let me know your thoughts via comments. I look forward to getting to know Jesus with
you! Let us pray for one another!
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