Today is the Feast of God's love for us. This love has been shown to us by the life of God's Son, Jesus. He has won for us entry into friendship with God - "it was while we were sinners that Christ died for us" (Rom.5:8). The other readings, both Old and New Testament use the image of the shepherd who goes to any lengths to protect and nurture his flock. That love, too, as the Gospel indicates, extends in a unique way to the wandering sheep. The "good" sheep are secure in His friendship and love. The Heart of Jesus is more than the heart of a good shepherd who goes to find the one that has gone astray. The love of God is seen in His caring tenderness. The Lord Himself says, "The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back... " (Ez. 34:16).

How many of us will claim to be consistently among those "good" sheep? We need to express our gratitude today that we have a God who, through the life of Jesus, demonstrated beyond doubt His love even for the sinner and the social outcast. It is that love we celebrate gratefully today, and how better to express our gratitude than ourselves sharing our God's attitude with the sinful and marginalised in our midst?