Sections The Daily B.R.E.A.D. April 25, 2010, Sunday Meditation (Placing Life Securely in God Where It Belongs)
| April 25, 2010, Sunday Meditation (Placing Life Securely in God Where It Belongs) |
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| Sections - The Daily B.R.E.A.D. | |||
| Written by Bobot Apit | |||
| Saturday, 24 April 2010 23:27 | |||
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T he Lord does not spare us from all trouble. In this life we will experience pain, suffering, sickness, and death. But through these the Lord will lead us to ultimate victory and safety in his everlasting home. Even in the midst of our sufferings we can find a peace and security which no one can give except God alone. We can confidently follow the Lord wherever he leads, trusting that nothing can keep us from God if we surrender our lives to him. Have you placed your life securely in God where it belongs? Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts Psalms 100:1-2, 3, 5 Revelations 7:9, 14b-17 J ohn 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; (28) and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. (29) My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. (30) I and the Father are one." Meditation by Don Schwager Do you know the peace and security of the Good Shepherd who watches over his own? The Old Testament often speaks of God as shepherd of his people, Jesus made three promises to his followers. He promised them everlasting life. If they accept him and follow him, they will have the life of God in them. Jesus also promised them a life that would know no end. Death would not be the end but the beginning; they would know the glory of indestructible life. Jesus promised a life that was secure. Jesus said that nothing would snatch them out of his hand, not even sorrow and death, since he is everlasting life itself. Our lives are safe in his hands. The security Jesus offers is an abiding relationship with the living God, and membership with his flock, the people of God. Jesus also promises the security of peace and protection from evil and the greatest harm that could befall us – eternal destruction. The Lord does not spare us from all trouble. In this life we will experience pain, suffering, sickness, and death. But through these the Lord will lead us to ultimate victory and safety in his everlasting home. Even in the midst of our sufferings we can find a peace and security which no one can give except God alone. We can confidently follow the Lord wherever he leads, trusting that nothing can keep us from God if we surrender our lives to him. Have you placed your life securely in God where it belongs? Cyril of Alexander, a 5th century church father comments on Jesus as our Good Shepherd: “He shows in what manner a shepherd may be proved good; and He teaches that he must be prepared to give up his life fighting in defense of his sheep, which was fulfilled in Christ. For man has departed from the love of God, and fallen into sin, and because of this was, I say, excluded from the divine abode of paradise, and when he was weakened by that disaster, he yielded to the devil tempting him to sin, and death following that sin he became the prey of fierce and ravenous wolves. But after Christ was announced as the True Shepherd of all men, He laid down his life for us (1 John Do you listen attentively to the voice of the Good Shepherd and obey his word? "Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd. In you I place all my hope and I entrust myself to you completely. Increase my confidence in your saving grace and in your abiding presence." Supplementary Choose to Trust
Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust…" Psalm 40:4 Is your trust in the Lord today? Trusting in the Lord is a decision we make just like we choose anything else in life. You chose what to wear today, you probably chose what you would have for breakfast, and you can choose to trust God today, too! And just like the decision to receive salvation, when you choose to trust God, there is a peace that settles on the inside of your heart. There are blessings in store for you when you trust Him. No matter what you are facing in life today, you can have faith that God will come through for you. You can trust that His Word is always true. In Psalm 32, David calls God his "hiding place." In other words, not only can you choose to trust God in the midst of your difficulty; you can actually hide in Him and find rest for your soul. When the circumstances of life seem to be overwhelming, choose to trust that God is ordering your steps. Find security in Him knowing that He's making your crooked places straight and leading you into the everlasting life He has prepared for you! Father in heaven, today I choose to put my trust in You. I know You are a good and faithful God, and I trust that You have my best interest at heart. Help me stay focused on Your goodness today. In Jesus' Name. Amen. (Joel & Victoria Osteen) # # # EL SHADDAI Radio Program: http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=50&tid=1
GOD BLESS US O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
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"I think that's how Chicago got started. A bunch of people in New York said, 'Gee, I'm enjoying the crime and the poverty, but it just isn't cold enough. Let's go west.' "--Richard Jeni
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and entrusts Peter and his successors with the government of his Church to continue his mission on earth.
The Good Shepherd is risen! He who laid down his life for his sheep, who died for his flock, He is risen, alleluia (Communion Antiphon).
This Sunday’s liturgy centres upon the image of the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd’s sacrifice gave life to his sheep and brought them back to the fold. Years later St Peter confirmed Christians in their faith by reminding them in the midst of persecution what Christ had done and suffered for them: By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls (1 Pet 2:25). And so the whole Church prays that the continuing work of our Redeemer (will) bring us eternal joy (Prayer over the Gifts), and asks God the Father to give us new strength from the courage of Christ our shepherd, and lead us to join the saints in heaven (Opening Prayer).
The early Christians had a special affection for the image of the Good Shepherd, and have left us countless testimonies of it in the catacombs and on many well-known ancient buildings through murals, reliefs, gravestone etchings, mosaics and sculptures. This Sunday’s liturgy invites us to meditate on our Saviour’s merciful tenderness, so that we recognize the rights he acquired over each one of us by his death. It is also a good opportunity to consider in our prayer our love for the good shepherds whom he has left to guide us and keep us in his name.
The Old Testament frequently refers to the Messiah as a good Shepherd who must feed, rule and govern God’s people, often abandoned and scattered. The prophecies of the awaited shepherd are fulfilled in Jesus, but in him with new features. He is the Good Shepherd who gives his life for his sheep and provides other shepherds to continue his mission. As opposed to thieves who seek their own interests and destroy the flock, Jesus is the door of salvation (cf John 10:10); he who enters will find abundant pasture (cf John 10:9-10). There is a tender relationship between Jesus the Good Shepherd and his sheep: he calls each by his name; he leads them; the sheep follow because they know his voice; he is the one and only shepherd who has only one flock (cf John 10:16), protected by the Father’s love (cf John 10:29). He is the chief Shepherd (1 Pet 5:4).
In his last appearance before the Ascension, the risen Christ made Peter the shepherd of his flock (cf John 21:15-17), the Church’s guide. In this way the prophecy made to Peter before the Passion was fulfilled: but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren (Luke 22:32). Then he prophesied that as a good shepherd he would die for his flock.
Christ trusts Peter despite the denials. He simply asks for his love the same number of times that He had been denied. Our Lord doesn’t mind entrusting his Church to a weak man who repents and loves with deeds.
Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’. And he said to him, ‘Lord; you know everything; you know that I love you’. Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.’
The shepherd symbol which Jesus has claimed for him self is passed on to Peter: he must continue Our Lord’s mission and be his representative on earth.
Jesus’ words to Peter — feed my lambs, feed my sheep — explain Peter’s mission as one of guarding Our Lord’s whole flock without limitations. Feed is equivalent to ‘direct and govern’. Peter is made the shepherd and guide for the whole Church. As the Second Vatican Council points out, Jesus Christ put Peter at the head of the other Apostles, and in him he set up a lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity of both faith and communion (Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, 18).
Ubi Petms ibi Ecclesia — where Peter is, there is Christ’s Church. In union with him we know with certainty the way that leads to salvation.
With permission from Scepter UK. Short excerpt from IN CONVERSATION WITH GOD by Francis Fernandez. Available at SinagTala or Totus Bookstore 723-4326 or at www.totusbookstore. com (info@totusbookstore .com)
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