Friday, June 07, 2013
Sacred Heart of Jesus
1st Reading: Ezk 34:11-16 2nd Reading: Rom 5:5-11
Gospel: Luke 15:3-7
Jesus told them this parable, “Who among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and seek out the lost one till he finds it? And finding it, will he not joyfully carry it home on his shoulders? Then he will call his friends and neighbors together and say: ‘Celebrate with me for I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, just so, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine upright who do not need to repent.”
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
A story is told of a blond who had her hair turned black so she would no longer be the object of ridicule in the community. Blonds used to be the butt of jokes in the past for being gullible. While driving she pulled over upon noticing a flock of sheep crossing the road. The shepherd was the last one to cross with his dog. She proposed to the shepherd: “If I can guess the number of sheep that had just crossed the road, will you give me one?” When the lady gave the exact number, the shepherd was so amazed at her brilliance that he decided to give her what she wanted.
The lady then rushed to the other side of the road to pick her choice and returned to the car lovingly caressing one by her arms. For a few seconds the shepherd was speechless. Finally he told her: “If I can guess the true color of your hair, will you give me back my dog?”
By the dumbness of the blond, the shepherd kept the flock intact. There are many sheep in a flock yet a good shepherd will never part even with one. He is even willing to leave the 99 behind to look for a lost one. The bottom line is that a single sheep is precious to a shepherd.
When a sheep goes astray, the shepherd goes through lots of sacrifices. He worries not only for the lost one but also for the rest of the flock he has to leave behind. Finding the lost sheep, he has to carry it bodily because a sheep separated from the group will lie down and refuse to move. Imagine the physical exhaustion of the shepherd carrying the lost sheep across plateaus and valleys back to the fold! In looking for a lost sheep, the shepherd suffers mental, emotional and physical exhaustion.
The sheep-shepherd relationship is the best comparison Jesus could cite for lack of a better one to describe God’s love. The cross says it all, for it was while hanging on the cross that Jesus gave up everything till he had nothing more to give up for love of us. Only the dumb among us will fail to appreciate the love. – Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., DM. Email: dan.delosangeles@gmail.com. Website: www.frdan.org.
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