Acts 4:8-12
1 John 3:1-2
John 10:11-18
We are blessed. We have been gifted by God. But how do we respond to God's blessings?
How do we respond to the gifts that God has freely given us?
Once upon a time, when God created all the animals, Frog was the only one without a tail.
The other animals made fun of the tailless Frog, making Frog feel inferior and ugly.
So Frog begged God for a tail. God listened to Frog's plea and agreed to give Frog a tail
with one condition - that Frog would watch over God's special pond. Frog happily agreed.
Soon a terrible drought seized the area and God's special pond was the only watering hole for many miles. Creatures from all over the wood came to Frog's new home in need of water. But Frog was very full of himself with his new long tail and his powerful position as keeper of the land's only watering hole. Frog's sense of selfimportance and entitlement had mushroomed. And since he had never forgotten how the other creatures used to tease him, Frog did not hesitate to turn away every animal from the pond without so much as a sip.
Soon word of Frog's antics reached God, who decided to see for himself. He found Frog swishing through the water, gleefully flaunting his tail. As God approached the water's edge,
he heard the Frog shout, "Whoever you are, move along! This water is not for you! God gave
me this beautiful pond to do with as I see fit - because I am the most beautiful of all creatures!"
When Frog realized it was God coming to the pond, it was too late. God exiled Frog from the pond and took away his tail. Now, each spring, every frog is born a tadpole with a long tail -
but as these children of Frog grow, the tail shrinks until it disappears as a lesson in humility and selflessness.
Frog had been given the gift of a tail and also of carrying for the special pond of God. But, instead of sharing the gift, he horded the gift. Instead of sharing the life giving waters he kept them to himself.
We have been blessed and gifted by God. The challenge is to respond by sharing the gift we have been given. The challenge is to take the gifts we have been given and use them to bring forth life for others. Even when we have been rejected or betrayed, we are to continue to use our gifts to bring forth life.
The image of the Good Shepherd is given to us this weekend for our reflection on how to respond to the blessings that God has given to us. It is an image of leadership. It is a image of how to take what we have been given in order to lead others (guide others) to life.
In the Gospel Jesus says he is the good shepherd. He contrasts the good shepherd with the hired worker. The hired worker does not have a vested interest in the sheep. The shepherd will go out of his way to care for and guide and lead and protect his sheep.
We have been entrusted by God to share the gifts we have been given with others to lead them to life. This image of the Good Shepherd is a challenging image. We have seen how in the past year that priest and bishops have abused their positions. Instead of leading others to life giving waters, some have caused great harm. But this image is not meant only for those in leadership positions in the church. It is also meant for every one of us.
A week ago, Bob Soeder had a good reflection in the bulletin concerning liturgical ministers.
The ministry of these various liturgical ministers is not just when it is convenient but is a gift that has been entrusted by God to be used to serve others.
Today is Mother's Day and what a perfect image of what it means to give of oneself so selflessly. The vocation of mothers is one of serving and caring and giving of oneself. Yes, there are cases of child abuse that we read about or have experienced but that is not the majority. Mothers are a wonderful witness to us of how to live out the challenge of being the good shepherd. However, as natural as what it may seem, there is a lot of work and effort that must be taken by mothers.
For each of us here today, no matter what our state in life may be or what our gifts and talents may be, we are called to use them to lead others to life. Because we do not always do this well, we return here week after week to be nurtured by Christ who is the true Good Shepherd. It is here in the Eucharist that we are strengthened to give of ourselves to others as Jesus gave us himself to us. As ______comes forward today for the first time to the Eucharist, may we seek
to model for her what this Eucharist is about. And that is taking what God has given us, taking who we are and breaking ourselves open for others, sharing ourselves with others, leading others to life.