THE LORD'S SHEEP WILL NEVER BE LOST

OUR LADY OF FATIMA

Act 11:19-26; Ps 87; Jn 10:22-30

The Sheep that belong to Me will never be Lost

Going further on our reflection on the sheep and the Shepherd this week, we consider that the sheep of the Good Shepherd will never get lost. We cannot be lost based on the principle of our belonging to Jesus Christ as Christians, which is the profession of faith in the Son of Man as the incarnation of the Eternal Word. His resurrection gives us the conviction for our profession of faith in his divinity. Before the resurrection, even the disciples and apostles who followed him were not deeply and spiritually convinced about the identity of the Son of Man. It is understandable because the Holy Spirit had not come. In addition, faith is a gift of God, which we can deepen only in union with the Holy Spirit. Though the Father has given the gift of faith to the apostles and disciples, as our Lord clarified that they were all drawn by the Father to him, the gift is not yet well seated in their souls that were yet to receive spiritual rebirth through the death of the Son of Man. We distinguish the disciples’ shallow faith from the unbelief of the Jews, who came to Jesus demanding to know his identity. “‘The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus replied: ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine.” What prevents them from being part of the flock of the Good Shepherd?

The words and works of Jesus Christ evoke something natural within each of us as we have explained that God made us for the Eternal Word. So, his presence echoes deep within us, that every man is drawn to him naturally. We see the Jews who kept flocking around him irresistibly but refused to believe. Thus, the Father draws everyone by the common nature he gave us, but it depends on us to enter the gate through faith and become part of the flock of the Son of Man. What made the Jews not belong to the flock of Jesus Christ was their refusal to believe the words and works pointing to the presence of the Son of God. “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me.” The Son of Man offers us the knowledge of the will of the Father, which is our eternal life. But we can receive this gift only by making a profession of faith in his divinity. We must believe in his divinity and humanity. Since the Father wants us to believe this revelation of his Son whom he sent, the profession of faith automatically receives eternal life as an action done according to the will of the Father. The Christian profession of faith confers the knowledge of the Son and the Father. Thus, we have salvation as long as we continue to grow in our profession of faith in Jesus Christ.

Our Christian profession of faith in Jesus Christ keeps us open to receiving inspiration of the will of the Father from the Holy Spirit domiciled in our hearts because of our faith. To cease listening to the Holy Spirit in any area of our lives is to diminish our membership of the Lord’s flock. Many of the Jewish believers suffered this diminution due to their lack of openness to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. But those who cooperated with the Lord by listening to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to proclaim the Gospel to all were more successful in their membership of the flock of the Lord and their mission. Those who restricted their preaching to Jews alone were not as successful as others who preached to all. “Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.”

The openness to living and proclaiming the Gospel was the message of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. When she appeared to the three children, Lucy, Jacintha, and Francesco, to persuade them and all Christians to convert to Jesus Christ through prayer and penance. She strongly recommended the Rosary prayer, which is a meditation on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for the conversion of sinners. Through the Rosary prayer, we consecrate ourselves to following Jesus Christ in doing the will of the Father daily. Thus, we will never be lost if we pray the Rosary daily with attention. It strengthens our membership of the flock of Jesus Christ and makes us children of the Virgin Mary, destined for eternal life.

Let us pray: O God, who chose the Mother of your Son to be our Mother also, grant us that, persevering in penance and prayer for the salvation of the world, we may further more effectively each day the reign of Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.