Today’s theme: Like lost sheep without a shepherd, God saved us in love. Today we celebrate and rejoice in the salvation we have received from our Lord in his infinite love for us. We rejoice, knowing that God has saved us and has shown us a way to remain on the path of salvation and never be lost.
In the first reading, we read about God’s loving mercy and care for his people. After God had led the people of Israel out of Egypt from the clutches of Pharoah, He reminded them of his love for them, for which He led them out. He then instructed them to obey his voice and keep His covenant, to remain in His love as His people. In the second reading, St Paul reminded the Christians in Rome that God’s love was the first thing that showed in our salvation because he saved us while we were still sinners.
Jesus’ compassion for the crowd following him came to light in the gospel. When he saw how gloomy they were, he told his disciples about the scarcity and the lack of messengers who would bring God’s love to such people. Then, Jesus gave the disciples the authority to bring His divine love into the world to heal the people and expel every evil spirit that had turned their lives into misery.
My dear brothers and sisters, think of the manner of love God has lavished on us by making us His children (1Jn3:1) just like he chose the people of Israel. God does not consider our faults when He lavishes His love on us. God loves us, not weighing our sins and our faults. He knows all our weaknesses yet reaches out to lead us as our Good Shepherd to the green pasture of eternal salvation. Let us, therefore, remain in His love, obey His word and reach out to others in the love of Jesus and them.