DAILY HOMILIES #knowledge

In every temptation, Satan tries to disprove what God has said; he makes us doubt God, and then he goes further to make us believe that there is something we stand to gain by disobeying God’s instructions, such as the pleasure we hope to get, the excitement of it all, the fun it promises, the hope of becoming richer, more beautiful, more powerful, and connected, and so on. When we listen to the devil, we start seeing God’s commandments as restrictions rather than as keys to our happiness and fulfilment.

What Qualities Make Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd? In today’s Gospel passage from John 10:11-18, Jesus provides four answers to this question: 1. Sacrifice - “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (verse 11). 2. Knowledge - “I know my own, and my own know me.” (verse 14). 3. Unity – “I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, so there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (verse 16). 4. Power – “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.” (verse 18)

From the vision of Peter, we learn to avoid judging people simply based on where they come from. Whereas the bad shepherd, the thief thrives by creating division and sowing seeds of hatred and ethnic rivalry among the sheep, the good shepherd unites all, mends conflicts, and teaches love above anything else.