Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He calls us each individually by name (see John 10:3), but he also calls us to come together to belong to His flock. He may leave the ninety-nine sheep to save the one who has strayed (see Luke 15:4) but he leaves them in order to bring the one back into the fold. This is where we belong, in the community that is the Church. A flock of sheep out…
One of the things that I have missed the most during this time of social distancing due to Covid 19 is meeting in-person with my Bible study group. One of our group’s traditions is taking a meeting each month just for hospitality and fellowship. We take turns hosting our gathering in our homes. We have coffee and snacks, pray together, and simply enjoy being with each other. This focus on mutual hospitality and fellowship is…
You are a beloved child of God. Each and every human life is precious in God’s eyes. It doesn’t matter what family you were born into; your social status; the amount in your bank account; the positions of power or weakness you hold; your race, creed, color, ethnicity, nationality, class…you name it. None of that is important in God’s eyes. You have dignity and purpose, because you are made in His image and likeness (Genesis…
Grace, love, and fellowship: these are key blessings of our Trinitarian God. In today’s second reading, St. Paul ends his epistle by extending God’s trifold blessings to the Church in Corinth: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Corinthians 13:13). The grace of Christ is God’s life living inside of us. It’s God’s supreme gift to us:…
Our first reading tells of the apostles in the early days of the Church. It was a time of togetherness, sincerity, and joyful praise. They met in their homes to worship, pray, and eat together. They shared all that they had, and Love—yes Love with a capital “L”—united them. The Holy Spirit had come upon them just before this at Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4). It was this Spirit of peace and unity that gave them the…
St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) said, “If we have no peace, we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” When we welcome others in Christ’s name, even and especially people who are different from us, we’re fulfilling God’s greatest commandment to love God and love others (Lk 10: 27). When we love others, we are actually treating them as if they were Christ Himself. In the parable of the sheep and the goats…