Have you ever wondered why there is so much violence? How many countries, including our own, which were founded on the forceable taking of lands and oppression of aboriginal peoples? Has there ever been a time without war? How many of our youth and citizens have to die from gun violence and mass murders? Road rage, domestic abuse, human trafficking, terrorism – foreign and domestic, and the myriad of random acts of violence are a daily occurrence.

We often hear good will speeches, petitions and intercessions ringing from our pulpits and prayer groups, participate and see people march, and vote for change. There are those working in the trenches, putting their own lives at risk, matching their words and their deeds, yet do any of these efforts make a difference?

Amidst our own experiences, directly and indirectly, and with the constant temptation of cynicism biting at our heels, the words of Jesus are proclaimed in today’s Gospel from John: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” (Jn 14:27).

The peace that surpasses all understanding, the peace that is not of this world, has been and continues to be offered to us as a gift. Many have indeed said, :”If there is a God, well then, why doesn’t he do anything?” He has. The reality is, the peace that God shares through his Son, is one person at a time. This is why when he resurrected he only appeared to those he chose and not the whole world. Even if he had, these experiences, in time, would have been attributed to mere myth and legend. Jesus must be encountered and build his relationship with each generation. What we pass on as disciples, after encountering him for ourselves, are the ways for others to open their hearts and minds to receive him and enter into their own relationship with Jesus, to accept the gift of his grace that he offers.

The peace that Jesus offers is not some abstract formula, the command to love in not some pie in the sky universal love for all. The acts of peace and love Jesus shares throughout the Gospel are very concrete, individual and personal. Jesus interacts with people as people, not as numbers. He interacts and directs us to do the same, by encountering, accompanying, and loving a person. The real question is not why isn’t God doing anything? The real question is why have we left the gift that he has given unwrapped?

If we want peace, it begins with us. Our heart and mind must be open to want it, to embrace it, to live it in the most minute of details. We are able to receive the gift of peace Jesus offers when we are willing to let go of our weapons of hate, prejudice, cynicism, racism, paternalism, and the like. God created us as beings who are interconnected with one another, which means that what one does affects all, the good and the bad alike. If we want peace, let us spend the beginning, middle, and end of the day opening our heart and mind seeking forgiveness and so better to receive the peace that Jesus offers us, and put it into practice each time we are tempted to do otherwise. Let us “beat our swords into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks” (cf. Isaiah 2:4).

When we get cut off in traffic, may we extend a gesture in the sign of the cross offering a blessing to be with the person so he or she may slow down and drive safe. When someone says or acts in a way that gets under our skin, may we take a breath, pray for patience and understanding, as we resist the temptation to react. When we make a mistake, let us resist beating ourselves up over the process and instead look to learn from how we have miscalculated.

There are so many ways we contribute to the violence in our world, there are so many ways we contribute to peace in the world. What we need to decide today, is how and where do we want to contribute in our realm of influence? Do we want to receive the peace that Jesus gives and put it into practice now, with each person we encounter? Can we really bring about world peace? Not in some abstract form, for all people, for all time. Yes we can, if we are willing to repent from our contributions to violence, if we are willing to offer one smile, one random act of kindness, one understanding and encouraging word, even to someone who we consider an enemy, one person at a time.

Photo: Of my Eastern Orthodox icon of the Resurrection of Jesus destroying the gates of Hell, and saving our ancestral parents, Adam and Eve, and so us! Do we want to be saved? Do we want his peace? Grasp the hand of Jesus today extended out to us.

Link for the Mass reading for Tuesday, May 1, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/050118.cfm

Two points jump out of the Gospel of John today: commandments and love. How are each of these related to living life as a disciple? Often, many who hear the word commandments, often react and are immediately put off. There goes the Church again telling me what I can and cannot do. Yet Jesus is connecting the following of his commandments to love.

Now love is another word that evokes reactions. One reason is that, even though the English language has a plethora of words to utilize and choose from, there is only one word for love and it is interpreted in many ways. In Ancient Greek, there are four words that are used to connote love. There is eros, which has do to with attraction. It is the beginning stage of love, because we are drawn out of ourselves as we are attracted to another. The next word for love is philios, which has to do with friendship. This is the love between friends. If our love matures it moves from attraction to friendship. The third word is storge, or the deeper love shared with family members. The fourth word is agape, which is unconditional love.

Jesus sharing that we are to follow commandments is not the dictate of a tyrant. He is providing the boundaries and parameters for us to grow and mature as people who love, who, in the words of St Thomas Aquinas, will the good of the other, as other. As human beings we are social beings. We want to belong, to be accepted, and to be a part of. We seek meaning, purpose and fulfillment in life. This is best done through cooperation and collaboration with God and with one another.

If we operate from a self centered posture in which we are only turned in on our self, and we only seek to manipulate and get from others, instead of working for consensus and sharing a common vision with others, we will ultimately be empty with the exchange on any level, because we will be left wanting more. This is true because once the immediacy of the stimulation, whether material, sexual, drugs, or alcohol, ends, so does the experience of the feeling. Some happiness may linger from the effect, but we will never be filled or satisfied from finite things, so we will seek more and more, until the pursuit of the instant and constant gratification ensnares us and we are entangled in the web of addiction.

The commandments, grounded in love, are meant to provide boundaries for us, training wheels, and to keep us free from enslavement to sin, while at the same time help us to be persons who mature to be other centered instead of self centered. They are meant to be a means of freedom for excellence such that we can become who we desire to be and who God calls us to be. God is not in competition with us. He is our biggest fan, and his glory is the human being fully actualized, fully alive.

Commandments and morality imposed without law is a bludgeon. Love and mercy without accountability and justice becomes enabling. Jesus provides the blueprint for a balanced both/and approach. May we seek this day for opportunities to be loving guides, to align ourselves with the Holy Spirit, who is the Love expressed and shared between the Father and the Son, seeking where we can improve our lives so to be more mindful and whole, to be honest with our weaknesses and where we need to seek forgiveness, while at the same time being understanding with others, meeting them where they are at and encouraging and walking with them such that we can support each other in the truth of who we are called to be.

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Photo: Sanctuary of St Philip Catholic Church, East Windsor, CT, where I received my First Holy Communion – The Mass a beautiful expression of the both/and of Love and Commandment

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 30, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/043018.cfm

John recalls for us in today’s Gospel the imagery of the vine and the branches when he records Jesus as saying, “I am the vine and you are the branches” (Jn 15:5). Jesus used this imagery to show the interconnectedness that his disciples and us today share with him, God, one another, and all of humanity. God is the vine grower, he is our Creator; Jesus is the vine, he supplies our sustenance and nourishment; and we are the branches, we exist, mature, and bear fruit as long as we are connected to the vine and are shaped and cared for by the vine grower.

We are created by God, we are one with Christ, each of us are unique and individual branches, yet at the same time we are interconnected to each other through our connection to the vine. God, the vine grower, provides the nutrients to the soil, cares for the vine, maintains and prunes the branches and protects the branches from being broken or stolen. The vine receives the nutrients and water from the roots and supplies the nourishment needed to each of the branches.

This imagery becomes relevant and practical, when we recognize that the goal of our connection to Jesus is that we are not to merely exist and go through the motions each day until one day we die. We are not only to survive, but we are to thrive. The goal of any vine grower in planting a vine is that it will bear fruit. God within himself as a divine communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, is totally self sufficient, yet he created us to share in his divine life. We are to be participants in the majesty of his creation.

We are to participate in the divine life of his Son, we are to bear fruit. Our sin, is our turning away, our rejecting the life to Jesus working in our life. When we sin we turn in on our self, and in so doing cut our self off from the very source and sustenance of our being. We still may have life in this situation, but we are limiting our self from divine assistance that is available to us.

You might say, “I know atheists that are happy and joyful and appear to be fulfilled.” I do not disagree with you. God has created us with a soul, he created us to be in communion with him, he has created us as a living desire and hunger to be in communion with him and one another, and this is true for the atheist and believer alike. People can still answer and respond to God’s leading and guidance even though they may not be aware or define in any way that they are following God’s invitation.

Some atheists may be responding better to the life of Christ than we practicing Christians. Blessed John Cardinal Newman calls the conscience the “Aboriginal Vicar of Christ”. This is where God communicates with us, engages us, and guides us. We say yes or no in our own way. The mystery of God’s creation and communion is a wonder and a joy to behold. How we interact with him is unique and a gift of free will.

Looking back at my life’s journey, my own stepping stones, I can see times where I have said yes and no to God. The times I have said yes, I have found more fulfillment. Through my Middle School years, to the best of my recollection, we were cultural Catholics, but I led a pretty much secular life. My joys and pursuits were self motivated, self focused, and pretty much turned within myself. Any external interests revolved around sports, a few friends, school, movies and the like. Through high school and into college I began to feel a draw to seek more. I became interested in my native American background and spirituality, the environment, while at the same time began to be active in Christianity through the Congregational Church and some non denominational experiences.

After college I became more engaged in environmental work with the National Audubon Society as an environmental educator, I became more engaged and involved in native American culture, practice and spirituality, as well as Assembly of God/Pentecostal church and returning to the Catholicism of my early years. A summer in 1989 or 1990 led to a month on the Pine Ridge and Rosebud reservations. When I returned I experienced a ten day silent Carmelite retreat. Both were powerful experiences.

At that point my life I was at a crossroad. The short version is that I followed the Catholic road more intensely than the Lakota, and entered the Franciscans of Holy Name for two years, before taking a leave of absence, and after two years decided not to return. I went back to Audubon and nursing home work, and three years later met, JoAnn, and her three children. We were married in May of 1996. We had both attended at different times before we knew each other, Calvary Christian Chapel, an Assemblies of God Church in Massachusetts, so we returned there together, I attended Catholic Church less and less until we moved to Florida.

In Florida, we found a Congregational Church to attend, but all the while, I felt a continual pull to return to the Catholic Church which happened around thirteen years ago. JoAnn and I have been attending St Peter Catholic Church ever since. In 2013 I was ordained a permanent deacon and I presently teach at Cardinal Newman HS.

This is just one journey through the winding roads to where I find myself today, the vine grower has had his hand in guiding, protecting and shaping me. Jesus has been my source and life. Each year I have felt closer to him, more fulfilled in my relationships and life, and continually moving from just mere existing, to living a life of fulfillment and joy. Each of us are on our own journey, though we are all connected, we do not journey alone.

Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. All of us are connected and called by God to bear fruit to make a difference and contribute to the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in our world, through embracing our own unique passions and joys. May we spend time in prayer today, praying that each of us, as well as those in our realm of influence, and all people may say yes to who God calls us to be, that we may not merely exist, but life lives of fulfillment, meaning, and a sense of purpose. May we be present to one another in our personal interactions so to be agents of healing, accompaniment, encouragement, empowerment, and support.

Link for the Mass reading for Sunday, April 29, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042918.cfm

In our reading from the Gospel of John today, Jesus is explaining to Philip how he and God the Father are one. When Philip asks Jesus to show him the Father, Jesus responds: “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). Even though Philip had lived with Jesus, experienced the authority of his teachings, witnessed his works of healing and exorcism, witnessed to the inclusiveness of his ministry, he, as we, struggle with comprehending what Jesus was talking about regarding the unity between God and Jesus.

One of the reasons is that God is God and we are not. God is not one being among many, he is not even the Supreme Being, nor is God even in the genus of being. God so transcends our reality and sphere of understanding that any words we say about him are going to be limited. God is Infinite Act, God simply is. We are finite. This does not mean that God is an impersonal force. God transcends all of his creation, while at the same time is the source and life of all that exists. He is closer to us than we are to ourselves, each and every one of us.

God came closer still when, in the Person of his Son, he came to dwell among us. This is what Jesus meant when he said to Philip that when he saw him he saw God. Each are distinct but because of their eternal nature they are also, as we say in the Nicene Creed each Sunday, consubstantial, they are of one and the same substance.

The Son came to be one with us while remaining fully divine and in full communion with his Father, so we can be one with him and experience the intimate relationship that they share. We participate in the life of Jesus because he became human, and as human beings, God created each of us as being interconnected with one another. So what happens to one of us, happens to all of us. Through our Baptism and participation in the Sacraments, we participate and become conformed to the Body of Christ so to encounter Jesus in an even deeper intimacy and share in the divine Communion between God the Father and God the Son, and the Love shared between them who is God the Holy Spirit.

This wonderful gift of relational communion with the Holy Trinity, is not just for us alone as some treasure to sit on, as some secret knowledge to be shared with only a few chosen ones. This is a universal message to be shared with all. As we grow in our relationship and participation with God, we are to make him known to others. We are able to do so through our participation in the life of Jesus. As Jesus said to Philip, “[W]hoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father” (Jn 14:12). Jesus works, loves, and serves through us as the Father did through him.

That may sound intimidating, but each of us are given a particular charism, a ministry of service to build up the kingdom of God. The key is to believe in Jesus and seek his guidance so that he can help us to discern how best we can serve him and build up his Body. The key to those who were living saints, were that they came to know that one thing that God called them to do. They then surrendered all to their vocation. This is not just for clergy, this is for each and every person on this planet. The only requirement is that we say yes to the invitation of relationship to experience the love of Holy Spirit God he freely offers and in so doing we find meaning and fulfillment in our lives.

May we embrace today the reality that the God of all creation loves each and every one of us more than we can ever imagine. May we embrace the unique relationship he calls us to participate in, which is the Trinitarian Communion. May we embrace this unique blessing so to open our hearts and minds to the service and ministry he calls us to through our participation in the life of Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God through the Love of the Holy Spirit.

Photo Credit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/night-milky-way-stars-galaxy-8952/

Link for the Mass reading for Saturday, April 28, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042818.cfm

Our days are so full of activities, conflicts, health issues, technological stimulation, 24/7 news cycles, social media interaction, that if we do not have the proper foundation and orientation, we can feel stretched, hollow, and/or fatigued. One day can seem to blend into another, and another, and another. The image of being on a hamster wheel or an unending treadmill hovers before our eyes, when we actually do take a minute to breath. Anxiety, worry, stress, fear, prescriptions, and addictions all appear to be on the rise and swirling out of control.

Is there an answer to this hyper pace or are we doomed to just keep going until the wheels fall off? The opening verse in today’s reading provides an antidote when we are feeling any or all of the above.

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me” (Jn 14:1).

We are invited to place our trust in God and Jesus. By putting them first does not mean that the externals to our life will take an abrupt turn for the better, but what it does mean is that we will have support, and divine assistance. The disciples found this out when they were suffering in the midst of a sudden sea squall, taking on water as the waves grew higher. They awoke Jesus, terrified. They turned to Jesus, who awoke and with a word, he calmed the sea (cf. Mk 4:35-41).

Jesus may or may not calm the sea of our trials and tribulations, but what he will do is be present with us through our storms in life and we can trust in him that he will guide us through. As we grow more confident in our trust in Jesus, knowing that no matter who or what comes at us, he will be there to assist us, there will be more peace, more calm within – no Prozac or Zoloft required. The ultimate assurance that Jesus provides is that when we surrender our life to him we belong to him, we are not alone or orphaned. He gave his life for us, to redeem and save us so that we can be assured that when we place our trust in him our home for eternity is assured.

If we are struggling on any level and are seeking to build our trust and faith in Jesus, we do need to realize that this takes time. We need to daily ask Jesus for help, seek his discernment about where we can make changes in our life, and make periodic efforts to stop in our day to be still. This time does not need to be long, three to five minutes periodically through the day can do wonders. On the surface level, by stopping for five minutes to pray and breath, we get off the wheel, we step out of survival and reaction mode, so we can then make more mindful decisions, we can see that we truly have options.

For me the Liturgy of the Hours has been an anchor. I stop to pray throughout the day, some days better than others, some days less rushed than others, but each day I make the time. It has helped me through some experiences when I have felt stretched, and wondered if taking the time to pray was really the most sensible choice, and time and again it has been! The Rosary is also a great way to get into God’s word by meditating on the mysteries of the life of Jesus. If you are not able to pray the whole Rosary in one sitting, periodically pray a decade at key points throughout the day, first thing in the morning, mid-morning, mid-day, afternoon and evening. Reading for a few minutes from the Bible during the same time frame 3-5 times throughout the day, or once in the morning and then returning to meditate on the same verse or verses throughout the day.

These are just a few of the many ways to stop the madness, and to connect with the power, the love, and the grace of Jesus. He is present for us, he will guide us, let us have faith and trust in Jesus, for he is  “the way and the truth and the life” (Jn 14:6).

Photo: Bible, Breviary, and Rosary, my anchors for helping me to trust Jesus and put God first

Link for the Mass reading for Friday, April 27, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042718.cfm

Today’s Gospel from John begins as Jesus had just finished washing the feet of his disciples. Jesus then said, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master
nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him” (Jn 13:16). Jesus not only taught the truth that God the Father sent his Son to serve and not be served, he modeled this practice consistently.

From his conception, gestation, and birth, the Son of God came to be human in the very simplest of conditions and endured the hardships of those on the margins early on. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were political refugees very soon after his birth. The young family was forced to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. When Herod the Great died they returned to Nazareth, and other than the incident in the Temple, we hear nothing about the life of Jesus until he begins his public ministry. The most likely reason for this was that there was nothing to tell. Jesus most likely apprenticed with Joseph, in the trade of a simple tektōn, a woodworker, which was pretty low on the rung of the social ladder.

Through the short time of his ministry, Jesus modeled for his disciples what a follower of his entailed and what it meant to be one of his successors. To follow in his footsteps they would need to participate in servant leadership. There is no task too menial, that we can’t roll up our sleeves and dive in to help. There is no person too other that we can’t assist when they are in a need.

A good prayer and meditation for us today is to ask Jesus to reveal for us how we have resisted his urgings in the past regarding serving others in our realm of influence and interaction, as well as thinking or believing that what he was asking us was beneath us. Have there been people we refused to reach out to for similar reasons? For those ways in which we have withdrawn within ourselves may we ask for his forgiveness. If we start to notice a habitual pattern of resistance we may want to participate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Being willing to allow Jesus to shed some light on our lack of embracing opportunities to serve is a good place to begin. Renewed with his forgiveness and healing touch, may we ask Jesus to guide us today to be bearers of the grace and mercy we have received from him. May we ask to be open to each of the people and/or tasks that God will place before us, the discernment to know his will, and the clarity and courage to act as his servant with humility and without hesitation.

Photo: Grounds work during my novitiate year with the Franciscans in Brookline, MA.

Link for the Mass reading for Thursday, April 26, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042618.cfm

Jesus appeared to the Eleven and said to them: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). Jesus is once again claiming who he is: Kyrios – Lord. The word Gospel comes from the Greek word, euangelion, meaning good news, but the one who proclaimed this good news during the time of Jesus was the emperor. Caesar would send his emissaries to announce such things as a great victory or his birthday. What Mark conveys at the very first line and here at the ending of his Gospel, is that Jesus is Lord!

This is true for us as well. Whenever we are dismissed from Mass, one of the dismissal lines I use most often is, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” This is to echo the command of Jesus for all of us to proclaim the Gospel in our everyday experiences and encounters.

We are able to proclaim the Gospel first and foremost by believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. He has risen! He has risen indeed! He is the first born of the new creation. This is something to get excited about, something to fill us with joy. We are an Alleluia People, not a Grumpy Gus people. Once we remind ourselves what we believe and who we are then we need to remember to tell our faces when we leave our door.

The most powerful witness we can offer is to seek opportunities to think, act, speak about and toward others with kindness. When we catch the eye of another offer a smile. We can also say hello or offer a hand shake, a fist bump, a high five or a hug. We do need to be aware of other’s boundaries and space at the same time. If someone is not open, respect their boundaries, we are not giving of ourselves to get kindness in return.

We seek instead to spread the Gospel, which means share the love of Jesus, meaning we seek to will their good. May we accept and accompany others as Jesus does. He meets us, accepts us and loves us, for who we are and as we are. May we seek to be kind and gracious in our interactions with each person we meet. Remember those key words of please, thank you, and I forgive you, whether in a store, restaurant, bank, convenience store, on the sidewalk, in traffic, or online. Remember God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason and that is, it is better to listen first and speak second.

Believing in Jesus, embracing his love and message, and putting into practice each of these seemingly small actions with great love is a wonderful way to begin to “Go into the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk 16:15). I might add, “every creature” is in this statement, all of the above applies to animals and plants as well as people. Yes, I high five my desert rose!

Photo: Desert Rose that I saved about a year and a half ago. It was down to one last leaf when I brought it home. Some water, sunlight, and a few high fives and voila! No flower buds yet, but some good healthy leaves.

Link for the Mass reading for Wednesday, April 25, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042518.cfm

Jesus continues to present the imagery of the shepherd in today’s Gospel reading from John. He presents an assurance for security and protection that is to be found for those that are in his fold when he says, “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” (Jn 10:28-30). How does one enter the fold of the Good Shepherd? All who hear his voice and follow him will be known by him and so be a part of his flock.

Yet, there are those that hear his voice and do not recognize the Shepherd. They do not follow him and so are not known by him, although he seeks them out. They may know about the Shepherd, have heard of him, but do not know him. Their hearts and minds are closed to Jesus. They do not believe in his miracles, his exorcisms, his teachings, and the question of those opposing him in today’s reading is, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (Jn 10:24). Jesus did just that by saying that he and the Father are one. The response for the forthright comment of Jesus is that the Jews pick up rocks to throw at him (see Jn 10:31).

Jesus offers, free of conditions, the gift of relationship with him, and his Father, to experience the love shared between them, the Holy Spirit. Jesus is completely open as to who he is, who we are, and who we can become in participation with him. Those who say no to this invitation do so for their own reasons; some being, a demand for proof, a listing of the terms and conditions on their part that need to be met first, assurances sought for and/or excuses offered. Just as Jesus invites us to freely come to him, he will only come so far as we are willing to receive him. He does not conform to us or our will.  Jesus does not need us, he loves us.

Even we who have said yes, only go so far. We hedge our bets, dip our toes into the water, and maybe go in ankle deep, but not too many of us are willing to relinquish control and surrender fully all at once. We too see the promise Jesus offers, eternal life, true, but also a life of meaning and fulfillment now. A perfect life? No, there will continue to be challenges, because Jesus’ voice continues to call us to follow him to go deeper, to seek freedom from our anxieties, fears, weaknesses. He urges us to face conflicts, to be true in the midst of temptations, and to preach and stand up for the Gospel in and out of season. Through all our experiences, the ups and downs, the only assurance we often may have is to trust in Jesus.

No matter what we face today or tomorrow, we can be assured that Jesus will never let us go and no one can take us out of his hand. We can walk forward trusting, that Jesus our Good Shepherd, will be there to guide and protect us as long as we are willing to listen to his voice.

Photo: accessed at https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-sheep-statuette-161289/

Link for the Mass readings for Tuesday, April 24, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042418.cfm

“…the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice” (Jn 10:4). This verse is one of the keys to growing in the spiritual life and becoming a disciple of Jesus. Amidst all the voices, distractions, and temptations clamoring for our attention, we want to develop an ear to hear and a mind to discern his voice. There are so many directions we can take and opportunities we can be enticed by, many that are detrimental, but more challenging those that are good in and of themselves.

Jesus came to us so that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn 10:10). To live life to the fullest, to actualize our potential, we need to be able to discern the distinction between apparent goods and the true Good. An apparent good is appealing, attractive, and desirable, though once experienced, we conclude that it was indeed not good for us at all. We can see this in the promotion of processed foods, with additives and an excess incentive of enticing the taste buds with salts and sugars. The experience of eating many of these products is that they taste good going down, especially if eaten quickly and not savored, such that we often eat them in excess. They not only have little, if any nutritional value, if this is the main source of our nutrition, in short order we will feel the ill affects of eating in this way.

When I sit down to eat pizza, there are two clear voices. One voice encourages an eating of the whole pie in one setting, while another urges a balanced two slice approach. I will let you decide which is the voice of my shepherd 😉 The same is true regarding how we spend our time and treasure. We all have the same amount of time in the day. In what ways do we use our time, who is it that we are listening to regarding how we use the time we have been given? Do we listen to the Father of Lies or the Good Shepherd?

A good practice for developing an ear to hear and discern the voice of the Good Shepherd is to resist making decisions impulsively. When a decision comes to mind let us make time to pray with Jesus and seek his guidance, and resist making an impulsive decision, regarding food, purchases, jobs, relationships, and in all areas of our lives. We can ask ourselves each time, is what I am about to decide helping me to become a better disciple, or as the author and speaker, Matthew Kelly, says, is this helping me to be the best version of myself?

With time and experiences of the results of our decisions we will come to better hear more clearly the voice of Jesus. For the process of discernment, it is also a good practice to have a core group of people we can talk over decisions with to get their perspective, to help keep us accountable, and help us to stay on the path. In this way, we can also learn to hear the words of Jesus through others.

May we have ears to hear the Good Shepherd’s voice today, and the humility to follow his will that we may live our life more abundantly!

Link for the Mass readings for Monday, April 23, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042318.cfm

I am not sure how many people reading this reflection are shepherds, live on a farm, or raise sheep. Many of us are most likely removed from the daily life and commitment of a shepherd. With such ignorance as our starting point, we can fall prey to a false romanticism of the life of a shepherd as a reaction to the fast pace and hustle and bustle of modern urban and suburban life. The commitment and demands of shepherds during Jesus’ time were demanding, all consuming, with little acknowledgment or recognition. In fact, many shepherds were looked down upon, and groveling at the bottom of the social class of ancient Palestine. Yet Jesus compared himself to being a shepherd.

Just scratching the surface of the social context of shepherds could help to shed light on John’s Gospel today where Jesus paints an image of himself as the Good Shepherd: “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” (Jn 10:14-15).

Jesus is not just a shepherd, but the good shepherd. A good shepherd lived among his sheep, watched over them, cared for them, helped to birth and raise them, as well as was willing to protect them with his life from predators and thieves. Though we may not be fond of being compared to sheep, Jesus does the same for us. He watches and cares for us, protects, nourishes us with his own Body and Blood, and has given his life for us.

We get in trouble when we stray from his protective care and wander away. Yet, Jesus will come when we are in need, baying for help. Each one of us are precious and important to him. He will find us if we are willing to be found, if we just call out to him, for he knows our voice. He will come to us and will carry us back home on his shoulders.

I invite you to spend some quiet time with Jesus the Good Shepherd today. With the humility and simplicity of a lamb, allow yourself to rest your head on his lap, surrender to him all your cares, doubts, anxieties and fears. Allow your self to be healed by confessing any sins that are weighing you down, let him impart some healing balm on past hurts left unforgiven, and let him bind up any recent wounds. At some point in your contemplation, also let soak in the ultimate gift this shepherd gave: his life for you that you might have life in him, a life not merely to exist or survive, but a life of joy and fulfillment.

May we willing to let go and spend some time today, to receive, rest in, and renew in the Shepherd’s love. This is the Lord’s Day, the day he rose again, conquering death for ever and always for himself and for us.

Link for the Mass readings for the fourth Sunday of Easter, April 22, 2018:

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/042218.cfm