One of a flock...

The good thing about prayer is that each of us is unique and we have the undivided, complete, loving and understanding of Jesus who is always present to us. I love the image of the Good Shepherd and so often feel that I am picked up and carried in the arms of Jesus. I may of shared an experience that I had as a novice; we were making our morning meditation on the roof as it was mid-summer. The subject of my meditation was the Good Shepherd. Somehow I suddenly had such insight into the mercy of God that I have never doubted His Love and Mercy. It was a real grace and I also saw that my misery attracts His Mercy.


Now to return to reflection on some excerpts of the Pope's "The Joy of the Gospel":

1. This inseparable bond between our acceptance of the message of salvation and genuine fraternal love appears in several scriptural texts which we would do well to meditate upon, in order to appreciate all their consequences. The message is one which we often take for granted, and can repeat almost mechanically, without necessarily ensuring that it has a real effect on our lives and in our communities. How dangerous and harmful this is, for it makes us lose our amazement, our excitement and our zeal for living the Gospel of fraternity and justice! God’s word teaches that our brothers and sisters are the prolongation of the incarnation for each of us: "As you did it to one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40). The way we treat others has a transcendent dimension: "The measure you give will be the measure you get" (Mt 7:2). It corresponds to the mercy which God has shown us: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you… For the measure you give will be the measure you get back" (Lk 6:36-38).