The Jews then gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in
doubt? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” Jesus answered, “I have already told
you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name proclaim who I am,
but you don’t believe because, as I said, you are not my sheep. My sheep hear my
voice and I know them; they follow me and I give them eternal life. They shall never
perish, and no one will ever steal them from me. What my Father has given me, is
greater than all things else. To snatch it out of the Father’s hand, no one is able!
I and the Father are one.

Reflect

“Stewards of the earth.” We are called to be good stewards of the earth.
The challenge to care for whatever God has given us becomes even more relevant
today as the problem pertaining to climate crisis turns from worse to worst. When it
comes to stewardship, Jesus remains to be our model par excellence. Today’s
Gospel highlights Jesus’ sense of care. He does not want and will never lose
whatever the Father has given him. Here, Jesus referred to the sheep which in turn
point to his disciples. However, we may reflect that the challenge is to exercise that
same sense of care – both for one another or the rest of other creatures
(cf. Jn. 1:3; 17:2). Laudato Si’ makes it clear that our sense of care for one another
cannot be separated from our sense of care for the natural world. Pope Francis puts
it, “We have only one heart, and the same wretchedness which leads us to mistreat
an animal will not be long in showing itself in our relationships with other people.”
(LS 92). God has given us so much. He gave us the entire natural world to nourish
us. Why can we not take care of whatever God has given us?

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