Our Relationship With Jesus
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Today we hear St. Peter say to the leaders of the people and the elders, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.”
Jesus said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven”. He said, “unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood you have no life in you”. He told His apostles, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” This past week, one of the Gospel reading in daily Mass asked the question, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” Jesus answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent.” Jesus, of course, is the One sent by the Father. Today’s Gospel identifies Him as the “Good Shepherd”.
The world operates day to day anxious about many issues and strives to identify programs or initiatives aimed at resolving those issues. But it seems that prayer, the teaching of Christ and His Church and spiritual realities play less and less a role in the world’s daily deliberations. As disciples of Christ, holding Jesus up as our model and as our source of strength, can give a powerful witness to truth and goodness in our world.
As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, I pray that each of us prayerfully reflect on what role Jesus, the Lord of Life, plays in our daily thoughts and actions. Do we live in a manner that is guided and transformed by our daily encounter with Jesus Christ? Does receiving Jesus in the Eucharist impact us or do we go through the motions without much thought about what Holy Communion really means?
If Jesus doesn’t play the kind of role in your lives that you think He should, what might you do about it? I encourage you to pray about this and consider how you engage in the life of faith, first at home, then in our parish and eventually in the larger community. Is prayer at the heart of family life? Could connecting with another parish family or joining a parish small group help to deepen your faith and commitment to Christ? Could sharing your faith and faith struggles, while hearing others share theirs, help to strengthen faith for you both?
Our relationship with Jesus is of utmost importance, for there is no other name by which we are saved.
Sincerely yours in Christ Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life,
