Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds, rather, pasture sheep? You have fed off their milk, worn their wool, and slaughtered the fatlings, but the sheep you have not pastured. You did not strengthen the weak nor heal the sick nor bind up the injured. You did not bring back the strayed nor seek the lost, but you lorded it over them harshly and brutally. So they were scattered for the lack of a shepherd, and became food for all the wild beasts.

Woe to us all if we do not do our part in shepherding people. Like Jesus, we are all called to be shepherds to our fellow man. We are asked to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless. We are tasked with caring for the sick and injured, bringing back the lost, and treating others with compassion. These are all things Jesus did during his most holy life and we would do well to imitate him from the moment we rise in the morning to the moment we fall asleep at night.

What are we doing to help shepherd the people in our lives? How are we bringing them closer to God? In what ways are we being charitable and merciful to those we meet each day?

O Lord, make us good shepherds.

Amen.