I, John,
had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”
Msgr. John
S. Mbinda tells us: The good news this Sunday is one of hope and comfort for
millions people in the world today, who suffer persecution, ridicule, and
injustice. We find that good news in the Gospel passage that offers us both comfort
and great challenge. The comforting message is that no one can snatch the sheep
out of the Father’s hands. The challenge for both the pastors and lay faithful
alike is being shepherds to those entrusted to their care, and indeed to all
our brothers and sisters. We become shepherds by listening to the voice of the
Shepherd in a world with so many conflicting voices; by following the Shepherd
faithfully; and by being what Pope Francis has called custodians of one
another; giving witness to the Shepherd, the Risen Lord. So what message do we
take home this Sunday? 1) The Risen Lord is the Lamb who shepherds us through
the Church and gives us spiritual nourishment; 2) Shepherds are cautioned on
the danger of leaving the flock alone for whatever reason, because the sheep
will sooner or later be snatched away by the wolves of this world; 3) Both
pastors and lay faithful are challenged in a number of ways: to listen to Jesus
Christ the Shepherd and to follow Him; to proclaim the Good News of hope and
comfort to those who are weak in their faith; those tested by the many
conflicting voices in the world; those led away from the flock, away from the
Shepherd and bring them back to the fold.
http://www.sundayhomily.com/©2013
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