My Dear People,

Jesus the Good Shepherd allows his apostles to take time for prayer, rest, and refreshment. This is an important reminder for those who work in some form of pastoral or religious ministry because there can be a tendency toward burnout. We need to be reminded that Jesus also loves us and doesn’t will our self-destruction. We, too, need time for rest, prayer, and renewal. We, too, need to experience Jesus as our Good Shepherd before we can be good shepherd for others. 

In the second part of this Gospel, we see Jesus disembarking and feeling pity for the people who were “like sheep without a shepherd.” These were descendants of Israel, who were without a shepherd in many senses. For example, there was no Son of David, no legitimate king reigning over them. A Roman governor and a half-Jew named Herod were their leaders. Even the religious leaders were corrupt: the high priesthood was from an illegitimate line of descent and was more interested in maintaining its own wealth and privilege by collaborating with the Romans than it was in leading the people to God through the liturgy. The Pharisees tried to fill the gap by providing religious instruction for the people, but their interpretations of the law were so demanding that common people could never live up to their standards of “cleanliness” and “holiness.”

So, Jesus begins to teach them “many things,” which reminds us that his role as Good Shepherd encompasses the role of Teacher. He teaches them not simple Gospel messages (“accept me as your Lord and personal savior!”)—as important as that may be. The Christian life is an entire lifestyle, an entire way of living and being. It includes “many things” because following Jesus has implications for how we shop, for what we do in the bedroom, how we act at our jobs, the way we raise our kids, and so on. For this reason, Jesus did not commission the Apostles simply to “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, teaching them all a few simple principles,” but “Go, therefore, and make disciples. . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt 28:19-20). So, this Sunday’s Gospel reminds us of the teaching ministry of the Church and gives encouragement to everyone involved in Catholic education. In a time when so many Church institutions of learning have abandoned their mission to communicate the teachings of Christ, let’s pray fervently at this Mass for those that remain faithful, that our efforts will be effective in communicating the Good Shepherd’s teaching to the next generation. The Catechism is a priceless resource in communicating Christ’s teaching, since it synthesizes and explains the content of Divine Revelation for the modern day. If we help in spreading knowledge of the Catechism—including and especially those parts that are “unpopular”—we will be faithful under-shepherds, transmitting the care of the Good Shepherd to all his flock.

Yours in Christ,

Fr. Vincent Clemente