“On disembarking, Jesus saw a multitude and had pity on them because they seemed like sheep without a shepherd…..”
A sheep without a shepherd is not a free sheep – even though it may seem so – rather it is a stray and lost sheep. It wanders through the woods without knowing where to go and is exposed to be assaulted by any enemy.
Also men, to be truly free, we need a shepherd to guide our steps, to enlighten our minds because human freedom is a freedom which is bound (tied up) and can only be carried out when man listens and responds to a call. We need a shepherd who calls us.
But, who will be that shepherd? Will it perhaps be another man? No, because only God can place himself before man. That is why the Lord says – after condeming the false shepheds of Israel: “I will gather the rest of my sheep myself.” Jesus is the God with us. Jesus is before us, the only shepherd, the Good Shepherd who gathers the stray and lost sheep.
Therefore, in the Gospel, Jesus is compassionate with the people when He sees them disoriented, like sheep without a shepherd. He sees the spiritual misery of the people; therefore, He begins to teach them. And the miracle He will perform later, the multiplication of the bread, will be the sign of his immense love as a shepherd.
Also today, many people are disoriented; also today, many go through the world like sheep without a shepherd. It seems that more and more we have more problems and less solutions:
- What should we do?
- What should we believe?
- In whom can we trust?
But today, everything is more complex and entangled. Now everything moves, everything is questioned, everything is put in doubt. And this causes uncertainty and even anxiety for many because they are not accustomed to living under the influence of so many contradictory opinions.
But this is very dangerous for true freedom because fear and anxiety easily lead us to be unconditionally subject to other men. And there is no worse disorientation for the human being than that of being the sheep of another man. Many countries have experienced this for a long and painful time.
It is worthwhile to clearly distinguish between “freedom of” and “freedom for” because there is a FREEDOM OF prejudices, selfish interests, ideologies, false shepherds. And another FREEDOM FOR searching the truth, loving one’s neighbor, being just, following the Good Shepherd.
The step of the false shepherds’ simple freedom to the freedom for following the Good Shepherd is what we call FAITH. Faith gives us true security in God and helps us overcome all disorientation, doubt or uncertainty.
Nevertheless, is is this faith which gives us true security in God and helps us overcome all disorientation, doubt and uncertainty.
When all truths seem questionable, when there is no one who finds the way, when life becomes a problem, then the Good Shepherd calls us, saying to us: “I am the way, the truth and the life.”
Let us persist in asking the Lord to send us more shepherds because the “harvest is great but the workers are few.”
Questions for reflection
1. Do I feel free to say YES to God?
2. Do I seek the Good Shepherd in crises?
3. Am I one of those who complains about life?