In today’s second reading (1 John 3:1-2) we hear Saint John remind us that we are all beloved children of God.  Similarly, in the Gospel, we hear Jesus remind us that we are all “one flock”, cared for and guided by Him, our Good Shepherd.  It is good for us to remember that all of humanity – male/female, black/brown/yellow/white, gay/straight, gendered/trans-gendered, disabled/ablebodied, Muslim/Christian/Jew – all of humanity, without exception, are children of the one God, equal in His eyes.

As equal children of God, we all possess a basic dignity that comes from God, not from any human quality, status or accomplishment.  Ours is a dignity that is rooted in the fact that we are all created in God’s image and likeness.  But in this day and age, instead of emphasizing our equality and common dignity as members of the one flock, sometimes we tend to erect walls between ourselves and those who are different from us – those whose appearances differ, those whose customs or lifestyles differ, those whose opinions differ, and those whose economic status or political leanings differ.  Instead of seeing in each other our common God-given dignity, we tend to separate ourselves from those different than us, to judge harshly, even to become fearful of others as a result of these differences.   It is true that there are many things – many human qualities and social circumstances – that create differences among us, but we are still called by God to see each other as brothers and sisters – as one flock, created by God in His image, and called by God to solidarity.