COLLECT SERIES
COLLECT
The Collect for the 4th Sunday Eastertide reads as follows:
Almighty
ever living God, lead us to a share in the joys of heaven,
So that
the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before.
Who
lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
One God,
for ever and ever.
REFLECTION
QUESTIONS
In
making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection
questions emerged:
1.What
does the joys of heaven mean to me?
2. Why
do I want to share in the joys of heaven?
3. What
does it mean to me to be part of the humble flock of Christ?
4.
What does ‘brave Shepherd’ mean?
5..
How can I examine my life in the light of the Gospel?
6. What
do I need to change this coming week?
GOSPEL
REFLECTION
Have
you ever thought of the qualities of a shepherd? If not, why not do some research
this coming week. Alternatively, why not listen to the Homily here. It is important to have a concept at least of
the work of a shepherd to fully appreciate Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
In
today’s Gospel, Jesus also refers to Himself as the Gate. If you think of the Gate, it provides us
safety when we come in and also freedom and responsibility when we go out. Jesus, as the Gate cares for us both in and
out of the Gate. The Gate also gives us a
safe passage in and out. We could climb
the fence to get in or out- this could be dangerous. Or others could climb the
fence/pen and disturb the flock. No,
with Jesus as the Gate, we have a safe
haven both in and out of the Gate because we have gone through with Jesus. Jesus is the Gate.
Although
these images of Jesus are important for us, the vital element in the Gospel is what
Jesus as Good Shepherd or as the Gate has to offer us. Jesus wants us to have
life and have it to the full. Not
sometime in the future if/when we come home to Him in Heave but right now on this
earth.
Do we have a half empty or half full attitude?
Our response to this question can hinder or enhance our ability to do as
Jesus asks of us i.e to have life to the full.
We may think that nothing is perfect on this earth and in a sense this is
true. However when we look at nature,
the birds, a beautiful landscape or a sunset we see the grandeur of God- perfect
in every way.
We may
be so worried about our work, our family responsibilities, looking for work, finances
and so forth that we miss the beauty of God around us even for a moment. If we are able to stop and look even for a
second, and breathe it into our spirits/souls, we can be lifted up by the
experience and go through the day with a better more hopeful attitude. This is also true of our current situation in the world of Covid 19. Many people are so stressed, worried and fearful that they are missing the blessings and opportunity for personal and community growth through this difficult time.
How
often do we call our blessings which God gives every day? Once we become conscious of these blessings,
we start to live life to the full despite our worries and
responsibilities. The question is what
is life to the full look like to us? What would it mean to me to live life to
the full. We need to know what is the
vision of it and then we can go about to obtain it through the help of our Good
Shepherd who will open the Gate for us to lead us to greener pasture.
Let us
celebrate Jesus as Good Shepherd today.
Some
music links include:
He
shall feed his flock from Messiah/ (Handel). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-bAXm-A3Ls
Sheep
may safely graze ( JS Bach). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCyJvRaQ3Dg
The Crimond:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWr0DrDewGM
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