Gospel Reflection

This week's gospel reading reminds us of Jesus' unending love for us as he points out that he freely lays down His life to protect and save us, and will continue to do so as many times as necessary.

However, there is another aspect of this reading that calls out to me more. Jesus says, "And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd." To me, this is incredibly powerful because as Catholics we often forget the love that God has for everyone, including those not of our faith.

I feel as though, that as Catholics, we often feel superior because we have recognized God's love in our lives and the presence of Jesus Christ our Savior in a very unique and powerful way. However, Jesus does not see us that way; He sees us all as equals. It reminds me of a quote that hung in the locker room of my middle school that read "equal does not mean everyone is given the same, but that everyone is given what they need". For me, this is exactly what Jesus is saying.

Jesus announces that He is willing to lay down his life for His flock - He does not mind making sacrifices for us because He loves us more than we could ever comprehend. In addition, for those that are not in the flock yet, Jesus is giving them equal, if not more, attention in an effort to bring them to the truth so that they can find true love and meaning in life.

I think it is a great reminder not to judge. Just because we may see what we are doing as better than someone else, does not make it so. God gave us all freewill and He loves us no matter what we choose to do with it. I am not saying there are no right and wrong decisions, I am merely saying that those decisions need to be made on an individual level and as individuals we cannot jusge others for their decisions because we can never know their whole story. Jesus loves everyone no matter what. And so should we.