Jesus said: 'The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one can ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.' John 10:27-30 Reflection Today's Gospel reading reflects the message of Apocalypse 7:9, 14-17 where the writer speaks of the protective tent that the One who sits on the throne will spread over the people of every nation, race, tribe and language who have been through the great persecution and have washed their robes white in the blood of the lamb. Sadly, today the persecution of the churches continues and many thousands of people across the world are not at liberty to practice their Christian faith; each day innocent people lay down their lives for the Gospel, their deaths go un-noticed by the world's media. Christ, the Good Shepherd is not blind to their suffering or death and He who overcame death spreads the mantle of his love over each one.
Christ extends the same compassion and promise of eternal life to the suffering peoples of Ukraine, Afghanistan, Syria, El Salvador and other troubled areas. We may feel powerless to help all who suffer in meaningful ways, however, through the grace of our baptism and our participation in the Eucharist we do what we can to help. We have been called to be a 'light for the nations so that Christ's salvation may reach the ends of the earth.' As a Christian church our vocation is to co-work with Christ wherever He has placed us so that He may wipe away the tears from every eye. Encouraged by His promise to be with us to the end of time, we place our hand in His so that His crook of protective love may extend over all peoples and His peace may reign in our world.
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