“The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us openly.’ Jesus replied: ‘I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from hy hand.’ (John 10:24-28)
Lost souls, whether living or dead and suffering in Purgatory, cause my heart to weep. We all know people who, through their own choices and actions, are truly lost. They know the Truth; they choose not to live it. For them we can pray and lead by example, hoping they will one day come to the realization they have turned their backs on Jesus, their Lord and Savior, and return to him in repentance.
Then there are those souls who are lost because they have never even heard of Jesus, of His saving grace and Resurrection. They cannot be at fault when no one has ever taught them the Truth. Each human, however, has an intrinsic need, a deep desire to find meaning for his own life. His heart longs for God. For these souls we not only pray they find Jesus, but we are obligated as Catholics and Christians to bring Jesus to them. We might preach, teach, provide materials for sharing Him, or send gifts of money within our financial means. It is these souls that we can truly assist with our prayers and aid.
The souls that truly tug at my heart are those that may have heard the Truth at one time, but it somehow took root in the wrong way. These souls have been misled, or have been deceived by erroneous opinions. Their incorrect beliefs and attitudes keep them at bay, keep them aloof, and they cannot be convinced that what they perceive to be the truth is not the Truth. These are the souls that say red when you say blue, the souls that can argue you into the ground and not bat an eyelash! In fact, these souls like nothing better than to fluster you, or silence you for all to witness. They are often smug with a better than thou attitude in their interactions with others. In their erroneous opinion they think they know it all! If you know any such souls, then you know exactly what I am talking about. We must all lift them up in prayer continuously, for only Jesus can turn their hearts around. We must also never cease bringing Jesus to such souls through the witness of how we live our own lives.
If you have heard Jesus’ voice in your own heart then you are one of His sheep. You must share Him. He weeps over the loss of even one soul. Jesus needs us to be Him in our earthly world for He longs to see us all in Heaven sharing in Eternal Life with Him.
“Be Thou King of those who are deceived by erroneous opinions or whom discord keeps aloof, and call them back to the harbor of truth and unity of faith, so that soon there may be but one flock and one Shepherd.” (from prayer entitled Act of Consecration.)
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