This weekend is often referred to as Good Shepherd Sunday as the gospel selection is always the metaphor of the Good Shepherd and his sheep from the Gospel of John. It highlights the importance of having an intimate relationship with Jesus. The image of a shepherd and his flock is a powerful one, emphasizing the close bond between the shepherd and his sheep. The sheep know the shepherd’s voice and follow him, trusting in his guidance and protection. In the same way, Jesus calls us to know his voice and follow him, trusting in his guidance and protection.
Just like any relationship, the only way I know how to deepen that close relationship is to spend time with Jesus. That means spending time with Jesus in prayer and coming to know his voice more and more. You have heard me talk about prayer over and over again, but I don’t know how else to help you deepen that friendship with Jesus except through spending time with him.
Let me explain with an example of my own friendships. I have very close friends here in the San Jose area and also close friends back in Ireland. I consider both sets of friends just as close, but the reality is my friends here in San Jose know my life better and we are more intimate. There is no other reason other than basic time-spent with each other and listening to each other’s stories. When I talk with my friends back in Ireland, whether over the phone or in person, we pick up where we last left off. Unfortunately, there is just a lot of time in between those calls and visits and there is not enough time to catch up fully. Whereas my friends in San Jose, I talk with them every week so naturally we know more about each other’s lives. This intimacy comes from the function of time. If we cannot invest and spend the time, we cannot deepen our friendships.
An intimate relationship with Jesus is essential for our spiritual well-being. Spending time with Jesus in prayer will be good for our soul in every way possible. Just like any relationship, if we want it to be fruitful and successful then we must commit to spending time with each other. I encourage you to do so with Jesus. It will help you to be calmer in the midst of chaos and the firestorms of our lives.
I often find myself getting busy about many things, and most of them are good. However, that is the Evil One’s best weapon to stop us from growing in friendship with Jesus—keeping us busy about many things and not allowing us time to spend with the Lord! When I get so busy, I can feel the wheels beginning to fall off my wagon. I am going just a little faster than I feel comfortable and about knowing if I keep going, I will crash, so to speak.
So, I invite you to pause for a moment. I know it is hard as there’s so much going on this time of year. As we head into the last weeks of the school year, graduation and wedding season, there is a tendency to keep busy about many things. I encourage you to take time out and listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd. Come to know his voice and listen to him. Spend some time with Jesus: walking alone in nature, take an extra-long break drinking your morning coffee, go into your garden and enjoy the birds and flowers, take a few minutes in your car before entering the house after a long day at work. Whatever it is, just spend some time talking and listening to Jesus in your heart. I promise you it will be good for your soul. Just as sheep need a shepherd to guide and protect them, we need Jesus to guide us on our journey of faith and protect us from the dangers of sin and spiritual harm.
An intimate relationship with Jesus also brings us into a community of believers. Like a flock of sheep, we are called to support and encourage one another in our faith, just as sheep huddle together for warmth and protection, we need each other in this community. I ask you, please try to come to Mass in person. We need to support each other and stay together as one flock. This weekend, John Angotti and Francesca LaRosa are here and playing at all Masses. Come along and enjoy their music. Last night, they had a concert in the Church, and it was a wonderful evening of praise and fellowship. Their songs and psalms are inspiring and soul filling, so please bring your family to Mass this weekend and perhaps invite a friend or neighbor.
Speaking of Good Shepherd Sunday, this is our annual retired priest’s collection. This is the one week a year we ask you to support our retired priests in their retirement. Many of these priests we know and have served our communities for decades and now in their retirement we need to help and support them. Here is the link to donate to their retirement. Please donate here
Finally, if you have rising freshmen, high school age or older children, I encourage you to consider joining me on our mission trip to Tijuana with your family. We are going to build homes for families in need. Mission trips are life-changing weeks where we get a sense of appreciation of the goodness of people and how blessed we are in our own lives. We will be traveling July 1-8 and we would love for you to come and serve with us. information for registration is here
God bless,
Fr. Brendan