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herd. He knows His sheep, and it is there in His
Tabernacle that they too recognise Him as the Good
Shepherd. The verse of the Communion repeats this
affirmation, and gives us this consoling guarantee. The
Offertory is, as it were, the response
O
of faithful souls
to this :
loving protestation
"
God, my God, to thee do
I watch at break of day, and in thy name I will lift up
my hands.
"
In the Epistle Saint Peter, called to the honour
of visible Shepherd of the Church, directs our at
tention to the divine Master and invisible Shepherd of
whom he is the Vicar. With touching love he describes
to us the sufferings of Jesus, His patience, His devoted-
ness even unto death to the poor wandering sheep
whom He would one day bring into His fold. What
an incentive for us to show ourselves docile to suffering
in union with the divine Shepherd, to thank Him
for His labours and His sacrifices.
In the Collect we pray that we may be filled with
holy joy. Have we not been saved by the triumph of
Jesus from death ? May the Paschal joys of this pre
sent time prepare us for those of eternity. The Secret
urges us to beg of Jesus Christ, the divine Victim for us,
that He would give us strength to renounce sin and to
rise again to the life of grace. Let us be penetrated
every day more and more with love for the Blessed Sa
crament the source of glory and immortality (POST-
COMMUNION).