“Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture…” The Lord sends us all a wake up call with the readings this week. First we hear from Jeremiah as he informs his listeners of the Lord’s faithfulness to his flock. Jeremiah warns the “bad shepherds” of the time by letting them know that the Good Shepherd is coming and the Good Shepherd will gather his flock and lead them to green pastures, as we read in the Psalms. In the Gospel, we hear about the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ. And as the Good Shepherd, Jesus does not leave his flock when they need Him. He puts their needs before His own.
The Disciples had returned from their long journeys. They were tired and hungry. They were looking for a quiet place to rest when the crowds came to them. It is in this moment that Jesus taught his Disciples (and continues to teach us today) a valuable lesson. There are times when we want to take a break from ministry. We each have our own unique mission in life that the Lord calls us to—some are called to ministry by serving the sick as a doctor or a nurse. Others are called to educate as parents and teachers. Still others are called to provide jobs and financial support for people in the business world. However “ministry” takes shape in our lives, it can become tiresome. We grow weary and sometimes we would love to find a quiet place to rest. Jesus teaches us that even in those times, it is important to see the needs of others and give of ourselves even more.
While it is very important to find time for retreat, relaxation, and rest (even Jesus found time to go off by himself to pray) Jesus calls us to give ourselves to the service of others and when we feel like we cannot give anymore—give. Even though that seems like a lot ask, think of what happens when we choose to take for ourselves instead of giving. What example does that set for those who ask for our help and we turn them away because we are too tired or “not in the mood”? As Jeremiah exclaimed in the first reading, “Woe to the shepherds who mislead my flock”
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