Jeremiah, Psalm 23, and the Gospel of Mark all draw on the image of a shepherd. God as shepherd is referred to about twenty-four times in the Bible. The most famous is from Psalm 23. “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want…” The imagery in this psalm is one in which God is the shepherd who cares, protects, gives refreshment, and provides.

Jeremiah though, as the mouthpiece of God, is calling out those “who mislead and scatter the flock of” (Jer. 23:1) God’s pasture. They are not good shepherds, and the ultimate Shepherd will punish “their evil deeds” and he will go out to his flock and bring them back home. Not only will God provide new shepherds, but he will raise up “the righteous shoot of David.”

Jeremiah did not know, but we read his book and recognize that this righteous shoot is Jesus. God sent his Son to go out and save his sheep and provide security for them. God chose a people for himself, Israel. As the chosen people, they were chosen not for their sake alone but in God’s timing to be a light to all the nations.

In the incarnation, the birth of the Son, fully human and fully divine, the kingdom of heaven is at hand. As he continued his ministry he saw the needs of the people, their need for a shepherd. As in today’s account from Mark, Jesus sees the hunger of those who wait for him at the shore. He does not turn the boat away, even though he and his disciples need rest. “His heart is moved with pity for them, for they were like a sheep without a shepherd”(Mk 6:34). Jesus comes to them and us, to teach, care for, and love us.

Saul was a faithful Jew and also a shepherd of his people, seeking to protect his flock from those he thought to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. Until, on that fateful day, he encountered the Good Shepherd and experienced his correction, teaching, compassion and love, and his whole world was turned upside down. Saul became Paul and became a key piece in proclaiming the Gospel not only to the Jews but to the Gentiles. In the letter to the Ephesians, we see a shepherd seeking both those who were near, Jewish Christians, and those who were far off, Gentile Christians.

Paul sought to lead the people away from their limited points of view. They were stuck on the merely horizontal view. He was leading them to look up to the things of God, the purpose of God, which was the salvation of all. To get there, each one he taught and each one of us, needs to know the voice and needs to know the Good Shepherd.

Each of us have a point on the horizontal plane. Our goal is to move toward the zenith point, who is God. It does not matter how far away we are at the beginning, as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, listen for his voice, and take each step following his lead.

To know the voice of the Shepherd, to know and experience his love, his love beyond all understanding so that we can be filled with the fulness of God, we must be people of prayer. Our minds are so diverted, so distracted, so restless such that when the Shepherd speaks, we do not hear him.

The Shepherd “speaks in the silence of our hearts” (St. Mother Teresa). We need not only to step away from the external noise and busyness of our daily lives, but we also need to learn to quiet our thoughts and focus our mind on him alone. During Mass or in our time of prayer, whether that quiet time be five, ten, or twenty minutes, we must let everything else go. When thoughts come roaring back, we just return to Jesus.

We often balk at this invitation because we feel we just don’t have enough time and no sooner do we stop praying “than there is plenty of time, and [we] fritter it away with useless activities. To recollect oneself means to overcome this deception which springs from unrest and become still; to free oneself of everything which is irrelevant, and to hold oneself at the disposal of God, who alone matters now” (Guardini, 12).

Just for this time in Mass, just for your time in prayer, even if only in the moment before, during and after receiving the Eucharist, let Jesus be first, let all else fall away. When we discipline ourselves to give ourselves this time with the Shepherd, we will begin to know his voice, we will begin to experience his love for us. The compassion that Jesus showed those on the shore, he feels for each one of us. We too will experience his compassion, his love, and his peace when we are willing to be still, breathe, listen, and free our minds from everything else and allow him to come close.

Photo: Putting Servant of God, Romano Guardini’s words into practice last night – Riomar Beach, Vero Beach, FL.

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, July 21, 2024

Guardini, Romano. The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer.Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 1985.