FOLLOWING THE GOOD SHEPHERD

FRIDAY, Fourth Week of Eastertide

Reflection from Friar Nicholas Okeke, OP

Acts 13:26-33; Ps 2:6-11; Jn 14:1-6

Following the Good Shepherd

Jesus admonished the apostles not to let their hearts be troubled in the gospel. They are to trust in him and God. Consider that this is from the Good Shepherd to his sheep. As a sheep of Jesus Christ, what does it mean to trust the shepherd? The words of our Lord belong to the flock; we are to ruminate on them. It is difficult to develop confidence and trust in God. Trust is not a virtue that comes easily to us, for our biological and emotional systems are wired in such a way that any physical, biological, emotional, and psychological problem triggers the hormonal system that puts the body under stress and burdens the mind with anxiety. Successful control of anxiety is possible on the level of perception of reality and principle of living. We will be able to control or remove anxiety and worry from our hearts when we see and understand Jesus Christ as the solution to all our life problems. The solution is not in the sense we usually understand physical solutions, but the sheep see the shepherd as the solution to their problem. Jesus wants us to do this. “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me.” The sheep rest peacefully when they see the shepherd close to them with his crook.

Our Lord Jesus is present only to the one with faith—the proof of the reality we do not see. His admonition urges us to have faith in him and God. For us to develop the faith that sees Jesus Christ constantly as a sheep would the shepherd leading them to pasture, we need to remain prayerfully conscious of his presence. This presence is everywhere because of his divine nature but in the sacramental form in the Eucharist. We are to believe in the divinity that he shares with the Father. As in every other conscious engagement, the more and better we engage the divine reality of our Lord in prayer and meditation, the more we become one with him. Such prayerful and meditative engagement can lead our hearts to a quiet repose, even when the external or physical reality is no longer secure. This grace is not easy to obtain. We may think we believe in God and trust in him when everything is going well. It is entirely different when we are under trial and in difficult situations. It is only grace, and we must ask, seek, and knock for this grace of firm faith in the Lord when every material support is failing. 

Sometimes God allows these other supports that are not expressly divine to fail so that we may embark on the way that will lead us to the truth and fullness of life. “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” The importance of preaching the Gospel message is in the fact that every other support of the human person would surely fail one day. It is only divine support that lasts forever. The Spirit sent Paul and his companions on a missionary journey for the above purpose. “We have come here to tell you the Good News. It was to our ancestors that God made the promise but it is to us, their children, that he has fulfilled it, by raising Jesus from the dead.” God raised Jesus Christ from the dead to demonstrate that only in his Son that we will have eternal security. This eternally secure place is the many rooms in the Father’s house revealed by Christ. These secure rooms are only accessible through faith in prayerful contemplation of the presence of Jesus Christ daily. Faithful prayer brings us to Jesus Christ, our eternal pasture.

Let us pray: Grant us, Lord, the grace to know and walk the path to serenity of heart through the knowledge and trust in your Son Jesus Christ, that we may enjoy true peace even this world of passing things. 

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