Jesus brings light.

We know that human, animal, and plant life is impossible without light. We know that light is a special force that can bring forth new life. We believers also know that our souls also need light; though invisible to our senses, light is the light of grace necessary for salvation.

In Jerusalem, the Feast of the Dedication of the Temple is also called the Feast of Light. In Solomon’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus, when challenged by the Jews, declares himself the Anointed Messiah, saying, “I have already told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name testify of me, but you do not believe because you are not of my sheep….” (Jn 10:25).

We know that the apostle John wrote his gospel after the three Synoptics-evangelists because the personality of Christ was already then beginning to be attacked by the first terrorists. John wants to show with his Gospel that there is only one way to know the answer to the question: Who is Christ?

And we are to believe his works, and that is also the answer. His works are a sign that God is behind them, that he is working with Jesus, and bears witness to Christ as his Son through them. This is what the Jews were resisting, and therefore if anyone resists this, he will not be able to arrive at the truth. But whoever accepts the testimony of God in the works of the Lord Jesus, we can say that it is God the Father Himself who gives it to Jesus; that is, such a person hears the voice of the Lord Jesus, becomes His sheep, and thus receives from Him eternal life.

Jesus the Good Shepherd gives his life for his sheep so that they can rely on him, and he testifies to this by saying, “… no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. the Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:29-30). This means that their salvation is assured. The most significant reason why believers who have come to know the Lord Jesus and have heard His voice follow Him and come to salvation is precisely that unity which exists between the Father and the Son, that is, unity in the divine essence: “The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:30). Just as the Father wants to save all men and therefore bears witness to Jesus and gives salvation through him to those who believe in him, the Lord Jesus provides salvation by choosing to accept the task of saving humanity and making this sacrifice of his life. Therefore, we assume that our salvation is in the hands of God, and no one can snatch us out of the hands of God.
We still must let it unfold in concrete life when we realize this. Jesus’s words: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” (Jn 10:27), address the practical part of putting Jesus’ words into practice.

It is the keeping of the Beatitudes that Jesus said on the mountain. They are the examples he gave the apostles at the Last Supper and during his public appearances. And it is also the prayer that Jesus called all who would believe in him to through the apostles. This brings our lives alight before all doubts, fears, and insecurities will recede, albeit sometimes slowly.
“And everyone who leaves houses, brothers and sisters, or father and mother for my name’s sake” (Mt 19:29).
This is the way of light. We know that whoever encounters the light does not desire darkness because the light is better.

But we know that the first step is not enough. Even when weariness and other difficulties come in the spiritual life, let us remain in trust in the Good Shepherd. We know that He leaves 99 sheep on the mountain, goes after the one strayed one, and rejoices in its return. This is a fantastic thought that Jesus loves us more than we can often imagine. We are more likely to wave our hand over ourselves, put out the flickering wick, or quench the broken reed. But he is like the woman who, when she sweeps the house and finds a lost drachma, calls her friends, her neighbors, and they rejoice together.

This is the light that enriches. The kind father in the parable of the prodigal son is such a light. He overtakes his son and forgives him because he loves him so much—light triumphs over darkness. And Jesus does all this only because, as he says, he sees the Father doing it: “The Father and I are one.” (Jn 10:30).
To be a good shepherd is not only a matter of the priest, but a good shepherd should also be a father, mother, superior, and brother to brother. Know how to say a good word. To understand how to accept this word, to put away even the sins of others: to agree with the sin of another, to help the sin of another, to stand up for the sin of another, not to punish the evil, and so on.

As we can hardly imagine a vegetative, animal life without light, may there be more and more light and grace in our spiritual life as well