As Christians, we are called to give glory to God by our lives, especially in our service to Church and society, beginning in our own homes. But many of us have lost the glory in us. We have not encountered Him personally, spoken to Him like a friend, basked in His love and presence. We have not spent time with the Lord sufficiently to allow Him to speak to our hearts and reveal His love and mercy for us. For those of us who are searching for an encounter with God, we must not give up until we have found Him. This search for the Lord is an ongoing reality. Unlike Moses, the glory of God tends to fade in our lives after a while because we are forgetful. By hiding the treasure from us, God wants us to pay the price, like the man and the merchant who sold everything to buy it. Can we constantly search out for God in the way He searches out for us?

The greatest miracle of Jesus anticipated in the multiplication of loaves is the Eucharist, His body and blood that He would be giving to His disciples at His death so that our lives would be transformed into His when we eat His body and drink His blood. More than just physical and material food, Jesus quenches our thirst and satisfies our hunger for God, for life and for love. For us Christians, we do not keep the Eucharist, the Word of God and Jesus to ourselves but we are called to share with others who are hungering for authentic life and love, truth and meaning.  We are called to evangelize by breaking bread for others either by proclaiming the Good News in words or offering our lives in service for the poor and the suffering.

Our life is a constant struggle against sin and the temptation of the Evil One. Sometimes we will overcome the temptation to sin, sometimes we will succumb.  But whenever we fail, the Lord understands us.  He knows how weak we are.  He showed the same compassion for Peter and the apostles. However, judgement will come. Of course, God does not judge us based on one single act in our life.  God takes into consideration all the things we had done or failed to do, good or evil, grave or just serious, the circumstances we were in, the intentions we have in our hearts.

When observed in a legalistic manner, the laws and Commandments can enslave us. However, laws are actually meant to protect true freedom. They are principles for right living, so we will not be enslaved to our fears and passions.

Like the reading from the book of Song of Songs, can we truly say that ‘Jesus is the One whom my heart loves’? The truth is that we love our friends, our spouse, our children more than we love Jesus. We would even give up our faith in Christ just to marry someone whom we love, especially when the person is of another faith. We would sacrifice our prayer life, our time for prayers and worship, for our loved ones or even for social entertainment. Or else we put our work and ambition before our Lord. Like Mary Magdalene, we too must come to know Jesus personally so that when we hear Him calling us by name, our love for Him and conviction of His resurrection will be strengthened. Hence, we must ask ourselves, is He the One whom my heart loves?

When things go wrong, we lament the good old days. We forget the sufferings that we had then, and the complaints we made. We never learn our lessons. We are just escapists. Instead of looking at ourselves, we find scapegoats for our sins. Those of us who are in leadership will know that we please no one. No matter what we do, we will displease them. No matter what we provide for them, it will never be enough. Instead of gratitude, we only receive complaints and back-biting and slander. We can only leave it to the grace of God after doing all we are supposed to do, which is to continue sowing the seeds of truth, love and grace. While we may not see the full impact of what we do on everyone, but other than those few whiners, discontented people and ingrates, most are quietly grateful to us without letting us know. But God knows!

Jesus, our Good Shepherd, offers us a model of leadership: a clear vision of uniting people into the family of God, a heart of compassion, and a spirit of self-sacrifice. He also demonstrated integrity, and was rooted in prayer. What do we need to do to be leaders like Him today?

The scripture readings today offer us some food for thought on patience as the key to winning victory in battles. Jesus was very much aware that He was not yet ready to fight a direct battle with the religious leaders as His mission would be short-circuited. Even in calling sinners to repentance, Jesus was not harsh with them. He did not condemn them or humiliate them before others. Rather, His approach to sinners was one of patience, gentleness and sensitivity. He assessed the person and the situation and applied the right action and approach. Each one is handled differently, according to his or her needs. Jesus came to give hope by encouraging and affirming that we are loved by God and forgiven by Him.

Jesus was concerned more about the spirit of the Law. That true spirit is captured in Hosea's words: "What I want is mercy, not sacrifice." And so, ethical consideration and charity take precedence over any ritual laws. After all, what God desires of us is kindness and compassion.

Confident of our Lord who is the revelation of God in person, the revealer, the Lord invites us, “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden light.” When we know the love of God for us, we will be able to carry the yoke with Jesus for the love of God and humanity. When we are assured of God’s love and share in His knowledge and will, even though the journey might be difficult and the demands of love is trying, we will be able to overcome all our enemies as Moses did, not with our own strength but the strength that comes from Him, and especially His love that will support us. So let us come to the Lord, bask in His love and enlightened by His word.