Reflection for June 06, 2013 (Thursday) Taken from "Sabbath 2013" BROWSERS AND GRAZERS The prophet Ezekiel’s words never fail to touch me personally. I like his visionary spirit, with not just a tinge of pictorial, even graphic, imagination. But more than anything else, because he was a priest, a prophet and one who cared deeply for what he spoke about. He was a priest who cared for his people, a prophet of action who roused people to do something about the disunity they found themselves in, and a visionary who spoke of the tenderness and solicitude of a shepherd, albeit, characterized by firmness. He ranted against leaders who thought only of feeding themselves. But he also spoke of no less than God, who Himself will shepherd His scattered sheep. These are heartwarming words that are so appropriate for the feast we celebrate today in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Tenderness and solicitude are the same two words that come to mind as we think of the Sacred Heart. And two other words used by Ezekiel today sort of complete the picture that the Sacred Heart brings to our minds and hearts: browsers and grazers. Browsers and grazers represent who we are and what we are: a fractious, fragmented and disunited people, like the factionalized Israel. They also represent us and the mosaic of characters and personalities that, at times, prevent us from getting our acts together and moving forward to achieving a common goal. Browsers, we are told, eat surface foliage and tread lightly on the ground. Grazers, on the other hand, are those who feed off the grass, and tend to consume everything in their path, including the roots and stumps, thus rendering the ground barren, brown and bare. The Sacred Heart of the Lord looms large in the vision of Ezekiel, as both promise and fulfillment. As we honor Him today, we stand grateful and joyful, for the gift of that Divine Shepherd prophesied by Ezekiel, who now “feeds us in good pasturage.” Praise and thank God for the Heart of the Good Shepherd. ~Fr. Chito Dimaranan, SDB REFLECTION QUESTION: Are you a browser or a grazer? Sacred Heart of Jesus, teach me to be tender and solicitous like You.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:47:03 +0000
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