Archive for June 28, 2019

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: June 28, 2019 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections

O Sacred of Jesus mould my heart after Yours. Your great love for me has set me free to live in Your peace, love and joy. Let me never wander from You and if I do so a little too far, bring me back safely into Your loving arms. You are my Lord and my Shepherd what else will I ever want or need?

O Sacred of Jesus mould my heart after Yours. That I may love my brethren as You do. Even if they mock me, question my integrity or question my faith and love for You my Lord, I will stand firmly grounded in Your love for me. For I know without any doubt that You are with me through it all. Help me to love and care for them as You have loved and cared for me. Let my eyes always be opened to search out and tend to the poor, sick and the downtrodden.

O Sacred of Jesus mould my heart after Yours. May those who look to see into my heart find Yours beating next to mine. Sacred heart of Jesus pray for me. Amen

First reading

Ezekiel 34:11-16 ·
I will look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view

The Lord God says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall bring them out of the countries where they are; I shall gather them together from foreign countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in every inhabited place in the land. I shall feed them in good pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing ground; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.

Second reading

Romans 5:5-11 ·
Now we have been reconciled by the death of his Son, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son

The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.

Gospel

Luke 15:3-7
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner

Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’