REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus’ revelation of himself as the Good Shepherd was done during the feast of Tabernacles (Succoth), a movable feast celebrated in September or October. The evangelist joins it to the revelation of Jesus’ pronouncement on the feast of Dedication (Hanukkah) celebrated in the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In rocky Palestine and its neighboring countries where Jesus lived and preached, shepherds hold three things dearly: water, their tents, and their sheep. The shepherd not only guides the sheep, he is almost a “father” to the flock. He gives a name to each one; he allows them...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Gospel • John 10:11-18 The evangelist John introduces the image of the shepherd by describing how the shepherd enters the sheepfold, calls the sheep by name, and leads the flock to pasture. Then Jesus identifies himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for the...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus makes claims that can be understood only in terms of his origin. He is “the bread that came down from heaven” (Jn 6:41), because his origin is the Father, who is from above. His opponents will not consider that as a possibility: they know that his father is Joseph, who...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Faith in Jesus is not the fruit of sheer human effort; it is a grace of God. It is the Father who draws men and women to Jesus and, ultimately, to himself. Jesus says that this has already been prophesied: “They shall all be taught by God” (Is 54:13). The Isaian oracle...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The words of Jesus carry pastoral undertones and refer to his function as the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:14). While “anything” is neuter singular, it is sometimes used in reference to persons. Here it refers to the disciples, those who believe in Jesus. But Jesus has “other...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The discourse on the Bread of Life begins from the citation from the Torah (Law): Moses tells the people of the manna that appeared in the camp of the Israelites, “It is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat” (Ex 16:15). The psalmist looks back to the gift of manna,...
REFLECTIONS TODAY The basic nourishment for the human body is food and drink. People, Jesus says, ask, “What are we to eat?” or “What are we to drink?” (Mt 6:31). These are legitimate concerns, but life is more than food and drink that satisfy the body. Here in the Gospel, Jesus offers to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Jesus embarks on the second phase of his ministry. In stark contrast to previous hostility of the Jewish religious authorities, Jesus is described as popular among the general populace by his healing touch and power over the demonic forces. The frenzy of the crowd pressing...
REFLECTIONS TODAY First Reading • 1 Sm 3:3b-10, 19 Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was. The Lord called to Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you,” Eli said. “Go back to...
REFLECTIONS TODAY Herod was a bloody despot who ordered the killing of his own sons at a mere suspicion of wanting his throne. Emperor Caesar Augustus remarked that it was better to be Herod’s pigs [animals he would not touch because these were considered “unclean” by the Jews] than his own...
REFLECTIONS TODAY In a style called diptych or narratives in “two frames,” Luke narrates the conception and birth both of John the Baptist and Jesus. The parallelism also serves to bring out that Jesus is the greater one. Although wondrous signs accompany the conception and birth of John, he is...
