Jesus, our Good Shepherd, gives us refuge in times of distress. He calls us by name and He shelters us from danger and from enemies. When we are in trouble, He lifts us up on His shoulder and comforts us. He restores our soul.
Revelation 7:9,14-17 I, John had a vision of a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation, race, people and tongue. They stood before the Throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. Then one of the elders said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they stand before God's Throne and worship Him day and night in His temple. The One who sits on the Throne will shelter them. They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. For the Lamb who is in the center of the Throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Meditation: Imagine you have survived a time of great distress. You feel isolated and alone. You do not know what to do or where to go. Then Jesus picks you up out of the pit and places you on His shoulder. He looks at you and Love pours into your soul. You know you are not alone anymore. He shelters and protects you. Jesus is the Lamb of God who sits on the Throne. Speak to Him, open your heart and tell Him what happened to you. Let Jesus console and heal you. He will lead you to life-giving water and restore your soul.
The Lord is my Shepherd. There is nothing I shall want. Psalm 23:1
Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, a day to remember our beloved priests. I have been blessed to know so many beautiful priests, good shepherds. There are two priests I want to remember in a special way today.
Fr. Kelly has been my pastor for the past six years. He has done so much for all of us. He is a beautiful priest and good shepherd and a dear friend of this prayer ministry. When he came to our parish, Saint Mary of the Assumption, he said his mission was, "Be only all for Jesus through Mary." He consecrated our parish on August 15, 2010 to Mary on the the Feast Day of the Assumption and he consecrated and he enthroned our parish to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on Divine Mercy Sunday this year. His mission at Saint Mary's is complete. We send him off to his new assignments, pastor of Saint Paul Parish and Saint Paul's Choir School and senior chaplain at Harvard University, with an abundance of prayers and gratitude for all he has done for us. Fr. Kelly leaves a legacy of beauty at Saint Mary's through his love of God the Father, Jesus in the Eucharist, the Holy Spirit and our Blessed Mother Mary. Fr. Kelly has a gift of fostering and developing vocations and our parish has been blessed with many vocations through his spiritual guidance and the graces of Eucharistic adoration. His love of beauty in the liturgy, music and art will always remain in our hearts.
Fr. Greg is an Oblate of the Virgin Mary. Fr. Greg lives "all for Jesus through Mary" and he teaches others to consecrate their lives to Jesus through Mary. He has a burning love for the Divine Mercy of Jesus. Fr. Greg has been in the hospital for a long time. He is suffering with a very rare disease, but he continues his priestly ministry from his hospital bed. Being with Fr. Greg, you are not aware of his suffering for he has the same twinkle in his eye and love for others that he had before his illness began. There is a constant flow of visitors to see Fr. Greg: priests, seminarians, sisters, friends, hospital patients and hospital workers. Every day, he celebrates Mass and has a Holy Hour of Eucharistic Adoration. He inspires me and others with his deep love for the Eucharist and for Mary, our Immaculate Mother, his love for prayer and for the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, his devotion to Saint Therese of Lisieux and Saint Faustina and to the Divine Mercy of God in Jesus Christ who bestows upon us unimaginable graces when we approach the Fount of His mercy. Recently, my friend Helen and I asked Fr. Greg for his spiritual guidance for a new apostolate we formed for healing from abortion A Kiss of Mercy
Pray for Fr. Kelly and Fr. Greg and all our beloved priests.
Immaculate Mary, Mother of God and Mother of Priests, pray for all our good shepherds and especially for Fr. Kelly and Fr. Greg. Keep them under your protective mantle of love.
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