The joy of suffering in the Christian way of living is total submission to do the will of God. The suffering of a Christian is never a curse, punishment from God. Nor it is due to his sinfulness or as a result of the carelessness of God. God is not stoic or sadist when it comes to our suffering. Instead, our sufferings are proofs of his love, grace and redemption to do his holy will.
There is no doubt God is a God of the poor, the needy and the less-privileged. A God whose thoughts, words and actions offer us comfort, healing, restoration and transformation from our situations.
To be a Christian is to be both hearer and doer of the Word and Commandments of God. It is not just enough to be a hearer of the Word of God but also a doer of the Word of God. This is the challenge confronting the Christian life today.
Fundamentally, Christianity is a spirituality of total declaration of Christ as the Lord and Saviour out of personal faith conviction. And the practical living of the highest moral standard this faith confession means or implies to the Christian vocations.
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a celebration of hope. A celebration of hope that God rewards his faithful servants who cooperate with him to fulfil the salvific plan of salvation. This is the reward of Mary for her faithfulness to the will of God.
The Eucharist is the fountain of Christian Life. That is, it is the source and summit of the Christian life and Church. This is the affirmation of the Vatican II document. The Christian life is a journey of perfection towards a spirituality oriented towards Heaven and God. It is a weary journey that needs food to strengthen us on the way.
We have various pangs of hunger that need to be satisfied but, above them, all is the spiritual hunger that only God can spiritually satisfy in us. This hunger, desire or longing for love, care, recognition, fame or money and material things are ways man searches out his destiny.
There is a miracle of abundance and superabundance in life when there is love and sharing with others. This is the central focus of this Sunday readings. It is God that multiplies, but not out of nothing. It is what we bring to God in faith and trust that he multiplies into abundance for us all. The love action to share the little we have is the miracle of abundance.
The concept and the context of the word shepherd in the reflection of this Sunday is a leadership challenge. If an existential threat affecting families, the churches, and the world today. It is leadership qualities. It is an age-long problem that plagues the human race at all levels. Especially, families, nations, institutions and groups like the Christian Church or community is leadership.
The mission of Christ continues through our Christian vocation to witness to the Kingdom of God. This is the mission of God, and we are just participants or collaborators. It is a prophetic mission to proclaim the grace, mercy, and peace of God. As well as it is a mission to denounce evil, injustice and oppression.