Acts 13:14.43-52; Ps 99 (100); Rev 7:9.14b-17; Jn 10:27-30

The sheep follow the good shepherd, who leads them to the pastures of life. This path is not without obstacles, contradictions, suffering. The theme of martyrdom is very present today in the liturgy of the Word. Paul and Barnabas are driven from Antioch of Pisidia, while the Apocalypse shows us the incalculable multitude of those who come from the great tribulation and have washed their garments in the blood of the Lamb. And yet, it is precisely within this proof that the experience of being guarded by the Lord’s hands, from whom nothing and no one can tear us away, can be experienced, just as we cannot be torn from the hand of the Father. Jesus speaks as much in his custody as that of the Father; in fact he affirms: “I and the Father are one”. This means that we are kept in the same love that unites the Father and the Son inseparably. As the bond of love that exists between them is indestructible, the bond with which they bind us to them and guard us in their communion is equally indestructible. Listening to the voice of the pastor and following him means recognizing the truth of this love, in which we can dwell forever. Eternal life is not a life without end, but a life that knows it can remain forever in love.

Commentary by Comunità di Dumenza

Translation by f. Mark Hargreaves, Prinknash Abbey