The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
One of the most profound moments of my life occurred during adoration at a SEEK conference nearly a decade ago. I knelt along the back wall of a large conference auditorium as Jesus was being processed through a crowd of nearly 10,000 college students by the local archbishop. I will never forget the beauty of this moment. The smell of the incense, the angelic chanting of the “Tantum Ergo,” and the sight of young people falling prostrate in the presence of our Lord, truly present in the Eucharist. I knew in that moment that this scene was a glimpse of Heaven. However, as strange as it might sound, in that moment, I wasn’t immediately overcome with joy or excitement, but instead, the first emotion I felt was an overwhelming sense of sorrow for the countless burdens that were being carried by this crowd of students. The words of my heart were simply “Oh Jesus Christ, how desperately we need you.”
Each of the readings today reminds us of the most fundamental truth of our faith: God is our God, and we are His people. From the first days of creation, through the trials of the Exodus, and all the way to the end of time, we will always remain God’s “people: the sheep of his flock.” While this truth alone should fill us with gratitude, the second reading from St. Paul goes further by reminding us that God continues to see us this way, even in our fallen state. Even after our first parents freely rejected God’s invitation to live in paradise with Him, and even as we continue on that path through our own personal sin, our Heavenly Father does not abandon us, but rather “proved his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
This saving truth about God’s nature sets the backdrop for today’s Gospel reading, in which we read of Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, moved with pity at the sight of His flock, those “troubled and abandoned.” Despite our troubles, Jesus Christ acts as He always does and provides for his people. He summons the Twelve, grants them authority, and sends them out to minister to His flock both spiritually and physically. Jesus sends His first bishops to remind the lost and suffering of the Father’s unending care for them and to do so without cost.
It was this action by Jesus nearly two thousand years ago that transformed my sorrow during that night of Adoration into peace. That’s because the summoning, appointing, and sending of the Twelve was not merely a short-term solution of the past, but a permanent institution through which Jesus’ appointed shepherds minister to us, God’s people. Where once Jesus sent Peter, James, and John, now He sends today’s bishops to bring His healing presence—whatever unclean spirits, diseases, or illnesses burden us.
My friends, from the beginning of time, God has been our God, and we have been His people. Let us not despair, but rather rejoice in the pity of Jesus Christ, trust that He will not abandon us, and remain close to the shepherds He sends.
Thomas Lyons is a Catholic speaker with a background in ministry, teaching, and public speaking. He lives in the Texas Hill Country with his wife Amanda and hosts the podcast Continuing the Call: A Seminary Dropout’s Guide to Discernment, where he sits down with guests to discuss all aspects of vocational discernment. Learn more about his ministry at thomaslyons.com.
