It is a pity that in our time, the figure of the shepherd no longer exists. Those among us who remember the past, when most families living in villages had animals, will certainly recall that during the rainy months, when the countryside was green with grass, many would take their flock to graze. It is interesting that there is no flock without a shepherd; the flock scatters if it has no shepherd.
God's Word today touches on this theme, which is so dear to Jesus' heart, to help us understand the greatness of God's love for us. Today's first reading begins with a harsh warning: 'Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture... You have scattered my sheep, driven them away, and have not taken care of them.' The Lord our God is warning those who had the responsibility to care for the flock, but instead used the flock for their own whims. God loves us with boundless love, but His love reaches us concretely through one another. We have this grave responsibility before God, who wants to use us to show His love to others, just as He uses others to show His love to us. Each one of us can say, 'Yes, Lord, use me so that Your love may reach others,' or, God forbid, say 'No.' This is so important that God will judge us on this. This responsibility is greater for some, for example, parents towards their children, spouses towards each other, priests towards their community, and so on.
'See, I myself will attend to you... And I will gather the remnant of my sheep from all the lands where I have driven them, and bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase. And I will place shepherds over them who will tend them.' God, full of love for us, when the normal way of showing His love is blocked by some people, can open new ways to do this. The greatest of these ways through which God shows His love for us is through His Son, Jesus: 'The days are coming... when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land... And this is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.’ Jesus is the greatest expression of God's love for us.
In today's Gospel, we see Jesus' love for the apostles when He noticed they were tired and said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." Rest is not a waste of time; rest is important for our body, mind, and spirit. Jesus continues to show His love for humanity: 'When He landed and saw a large crowd, He had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd, so He began teaching them many things.' What a contrast to the shepherds condemned in today's first reading! We ask ourselves: Am I aware that God has shown and continues to show His love for me through others? Before this God, who also wants to show His love for others through me, what do I do; do I say 'yes' or 'no'?
We pray to You, Lord, help us understand that among the many things we consider important in life, nothing is as important as love: help us pray to You to grow ever more in the conviction of Your love for us, and to let You use us to show Your love to others. Amen.
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