Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
It is important for us to always remember that the very essence of God is love. Love, not a feeling, but an act of God’s desire for our good. God’s wants us to be happy and he works for our happiness out of love for us.
That is why God sent his only Son to us — out of love. Jesus came to show us how great God’s love was for us, even willing to die for us as he did battle on the cross with the evil that would separate us from God. In our second reading Paul said, “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” Jesus won that battle with evil on the cross and by his blood he reconciled us who believe in him to our Heavenly Father.
Isn’t it poignant to read the first sentence of today’s Gospel: “At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Even now, Jesus continues to look on the crowd of humanity and pours out his heart and love to us out of concern for our eternal salvation. He wants to heal our divisions, forgive our sins, and unite us to the Father and to each other in peace. Jesus wants to lead us to greener pastures of repose.
The Holy Mass is a continuation of the offering of Jesus on the cross, his offering of himself for us out of love. In the Mass, we find a bit of the peace that Jesus wants to bring to us for an eternity.
Let us approach the Lord in the Eucharist as people who are the sheep of his flock, looking to Jesus for salvation from all that ills us as individuals and as a society. We look to Jesus to feed us for the journey he is asking us to make.
As we make our own return to the one who shows us true love, to Jesus, we can also ask others to join us, for the “harvest is abundant” and, although the “laborers are few” we can’t let that shortage keep us from doing our part as ambassadors for Christ, the living God.
Also, lest I forget, Happy Father’s Day, to those men, both living and deceased, who made a huge difference in our lives.
Have a blessed week everyone.