the Good shepherd offers spiritual nourishMent

A week before Christmas, I went to Makati and walked through Glorietta. How I wished to be out of the chaos as soon as possible! All those rushing and running people, some doing window-shopping, others with heavy shopping bags
and all the restaurants so full that I could not find a place for a cup
of coffee. I began to think about whether these people are really
happy. Some looked so tired, so stressed while others rushed aimlessly
through the mall. Suddenly, the first sentence of the Gospel of Mark
today flashed through my mind: “Jesus saw a large crowd, and He took
pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.”

Jesus came into the world because He knows how pressured and
stressed we are. He knows how aimlessly we often rush through life. He
knows that many have lost track of their goals in life. He knows that
many of us are “like sheep without a shepherd.”  Jesus
is the Good Shepherd who wants to give us rest and nourishment, and to
lead us safely through the confusing times and periods of life.

Adoration
chapels in churches are wonderful places of rest where you can come in
the presence of the Good Shepherd Who knows how harassed you are by the
worries and problems at home or at work.

Mark
also tells us that Jesus nourished the crowd — He took the loaves,
praised God, broke them and satisfied the hunger of all. This event
foreshadowed the Eucharist. Today, priests continue to do what Jesus
did then in the Consecration during Mass.

The Second Vatican Council
proclaimed: “The Eucharist is the source and summit of Christian
life.” It is here that Christ enters our very being and strengthens
us. It is here that the Good Shepherd, continues to lead us through the
turmoil and frenzy of daily life towards our goal: eternal life in the
presence of His Father forever. Fr. Rudy Horst

Reflection Question:

What can I do this year to find more peace and strength in the Lord who offers me all this for free?

Lord,
in our hectic life You offer rest. Why do I not make more use of it?
Lord, often I feel spiritually dry, empty and hungry – why do I not
accept You, Who are present in the Eucharist? You are there for me, for
all of us. Thank You, Lord.

St. Thorfinn, bishop, pray for us.