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The Good Shepherd

December 11, 2025

Jeremiah 17:14-17|Psalm 18:1-6, 18-20| 1 Corinthians 15:12-22| John 10:11-18

In today’s Gospel reading from John, Jesus states “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.”

How will Jesus know us?  Have we been Good Stewards of his faith?  I have often wondered about this.  Has my life been lived well enough to be counted among the Lord’s flock?  I don’t always come away with the same answer.

The following quotes on love are attributed to Mother Theresa.  If you are looking for a guide to living your life as a steward of faith, then they seem a good place to start.  I used the first one in my father’s eulogy – really was a perfect description of the man.  I find them comforting, thought=provoking and inspiring.  May they also help you during this season of Advent.

  1. “Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love.”
  2. “Spread love everywhere you go.  Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
  3. “Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.”
  4. “I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God Who is sending a love letter to the world.”
  5. “Intense love does not measure, it just gives.”
  6. “Every work of love done with a full heart brings people closer to God.”
  7. “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for a smile is the beginning of love.”
  8. “You can love all men perfectly if you love the one God in them all.”
  9. “I believe God loves the world through us—through you and me.”
  10. “At the end of life, we are going to be judged on the basis of our love for one another.” 

Wishing You Peace and Grace in this Advent Season,

Michael Sullivan

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