Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

One of the requirements before being ordained is what is called a canonical retreat. Such a retreat is required prior to ordination to the Diaconate and also prior to ordination to the Priesthood.  Canonical … It is a retreat required by canon law and another requirement is that it has to be at least five (5) days long. For my Diaconate Retreat, my classmate, Father James King, and I went to Mount Savior Monastery in Elmira, New York during Easter week in 2008. Mount Savior is a Benedictine monastery. It sits on a huge tract of land – much of it pastureland. The monks raise sheep for wool. Several times while we were there, the sheep got out from their pasture and could be found wandering all over the property at all hours, sometimes by the guesthouse … sometimes by the chapel … Actually, it proved to be quite a surprise when I got up early one morning to go to the chapel. I don’t know who got scared more … me or the sheep. They would wander and graze aimlessly until one of the monks rounded them up and returned them to the pasture where they were supposed to be.

---

Entrance: Ps 27(26):7, 9 – “O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to You; be my help. Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Savior!”

First Reading: Ex 19:2-6a – “You shall be to Me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”

Psalm: Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5 – “We are His people: the sheep of His flock.”

Second Reading: Rom 5:6-11 – “If we were reconciled to God through the death of His So, how much more will we be saved by His life.”

Alleluia: Mk 1:15 – Alleluia, alleluia. “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Mt 9:36–10:8 – “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and sent them out.”

Communion: Ps 27(26):4 – “There is one thing I ask of the Lord, only this do I seek: to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.”

---

Now I realize that many of us don’t have a lot of contact with sheep, but maybe another analogy we can relate to is that of I think of a lost dog. When we see pictures and posters of them posted on telephone poles or in stores, we not only sympathize with the owners, but we pity the dog itself. Just think. Both the sheep and the dog are yanked out of protective familiarity. In both cases they are out there somewhere wandering disoriented and confused.

I think we can all agree that many people today are like the lost dog we saw on the poster or “those sheep without a shepherd.” Unfortunately, though, they don’t always get our sympathy and pity. We may even view them with suspicion or a touch of disdain.

So, think about it. Who are those “sheep without a shepherd” today? Well, I came up with several groups of individuals without really thinking all that hard. Our country has been struggling with the issue of undocumented or illegal aliens. Often, they have no one to speak for them or guide them.  Another group perhaps are children living today without family stability and direction. In this go-go-go society, many families don’t sit down together at mealtimes anymore. Parents often work late. Children have many more obligations to sports and other activities. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, something has gotten lost.  Then, there are those alienated from their church by scandals involving their spiritual leaders. And finally, there are the old and the forgotten who have no one around to give their lives meaning. These groups I name are just a few. I am sure if you think about it, there are many others.

The Gospel this weekend recounts that Jesus was moved with pity for the people were troubled and abandoned. Those who appeared to be lost. What is our reaction, today? Often, many suggest that those people are dragging the country down the drain. Others hold the belief that as long as “those people” live on their side of the fence or the road or the tracks and they themselves live on theirs ... it’s none of their concern ... none of their business. And there are still others who feel that if you worry about all of the current problems in the world today, you’ll go nuts.

Jesus was moved to compassion at the sight of the crowds who gathered around Him for healing and comfort. His tender concern gives us insight into the very heart of God’s plan. From the beginning of time, God the Father has longed to gather His children into one body, living under the headship of His Son, animated and united in the Spirit. We even recognize that when we pray during the Liturgy of the Eucharist: “You are indeed Holy, O Lord and all You have created rightly gives You praise, for through Your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, You give life to all things and make them holy, and You never cease to gather a people to Yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to Your name” (Eucharistic Prayer III, Roman Missal).

Carefully, over countless generations, God unfolded His plan. He prepared the world for a time when He could gather the people to Himself. He sent His Son, Jesus, to deliver all of us from slavery to sin and to bring us all into a new relationship with God. By His Cross, Jesus inaugurated the Church. The Church is a gathering of all those who have been redeemed.

This was the message that the Apostles brought to the world. And by virtue of our Baptism, we are all called to proclaim that message as well. How can we do this? Well, I first believe that we need to become convinced that all of us … you, me, everybody, is part of the “they” who should do something. We are the successors of the Apostles and their mission. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing. We have to be open to learning new things. We have to give up solutions based upon stereotypes. We should consult a variety of sources, including the Church’s teaching. Finally, we have to act … somehow, someway … no matter how small. “A drop in the bucket is a drop more than what was there before.” Public officials and legislative representatives are easy to reach via the Internet. Direct action through word or example is more possible than we think. Finally, never, never, never underestimate the power of prayer. Prayer is not simply something we resort to when “real” action is out of reach. We can begin with our families and Parish and move into the wider community around us.

Such love does not come naturally. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to teach us true charity as we work to build the Kingdom of God. Jesus has left it to us, His followers, to continue to fulfill His heart-felt prayer: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Mt 9:36).

Please pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. In addition, perhaps we can encourage your children, your nieces and nephews, or your grandchildren to prayerfully consider a religious vocation. And as we prepare to celebrate the Liturgy of the Eucharist and prepare to receive Jesus, our Shepherd, let us ask Him to imbue us with His own pity and concern for those without a shepherd.