Gospel Reflections for July 19 2015
He walks …they follow
I personally saw this Gospel in real life as a kid growing up in the town of Thousand Oaks, in Southern California. It was a small valley that was filled with large flocks of sheep. I remember seeing them as I hiked in the hills near my home. I was fascinated by how they moved.
I remember one day coming over the rise of a hill and seeing thousands of sheep widely scattered in the area and feeding quietly on the abundant grass. In the middle was the shepherd, sitting under an oak tree and quietly eating his own lunch. Eventually, he got up and simply started walking. Instantly, all the sheep stopped their munching and gathered behind him.
What stood out for me what was did not happen. The Shepherd never spoke or shouted orders. I saw no sheep dogs driving the flock from behind. The sheep simply moved with the shepherd as soon as he started to move. They could not have known where they were going, but they knew the Shepherd did, and that was enough for them. How did that trust happen?
It can only be because the shepherd has a proven track record of success in finding good grass and water for the sheep. He must have had a reliable reputation for always caring for the sheep and having their best interests at heart.
This was an instinct for sheep. It should be a carefully considered decision for us and who we follow. It will become important for us as we get closer to the Presidential election.
In the Gospel, Jesus walks to a nearby town, and thousands of people manage to track him down and meet him there. They probably did not understand everything Jesus said or did, but they had a sense that Jesus had their best interests at heart. All they knew was that they wanted to hear and see more of Him. That curiosity and inquisitiveness paid off for them as they received much wisdom and grace, and even a few miraculous healings.
I may not understand everything in our faith perfectly or explain them well to someone else, but there is no one else I will follow! I learned that as a youth watching a nearby good shepherd and I learned it in today’s Gospel.
God Bless!
Fr. Dave
Image: Public domain work of art.
Jesus is the best and only person to follow today..,,, may our young people follow the Good Shepherd!!! Thank you Father Dave for inspiring me
You are very welcome!
Beautifully said Father. Thank you!
God Bless.
Rita
You are very welcome! I am glad you like these articles>
Father Dave, Dick and I so love our Faith!!! We are soooooooooooooooohappy our parents were beautiful Catholics of love and raised us in our precious Faith!!!!!! It is so incredibly beautiful to think that God creates us, man sins, God becomes man to teach us to love, forgives us,dies for us, and gives us new life in Heaven so we can return to His loving embrace!!!Jesus teaches us to love and leads us to God as a good shepherd loves his sheep and leads them to food and water!! Our shepherd gives us living water and the miracle of himself in the Holy Eucharist!!! and we follow in LOVE!!!! Love our precious Faith and we so thank you and love you for being a good shepherd and leading us to Heaven!!!
Loveeeeeeeeeeeee, Franca and Dick
Thanks for you your message. (You use a lot of vowels! 🙂
Fr. Dave,
Thanks for the personal insight on the “Good Shepherd” since I’ve never had the chance to observe like that. It makes the Gospel even more meaningful.
Thanks also for reminding us how important it is to follow the right one in connection with the next Presidential election. It may be our last chance to get someone that’s pro-life and respects religious freedom.
I am very confident that the Pro-life forces will like the next president. I think the next four years will be very good for people of faith, and hopefully maybe even the next eight years!
Thank you for your commentary, Father Dave. What struck me this time is how many of us are not like sheep. Would that we would follow the Shepherd blindly and not get confused with our personal will.
Thank you Fr Dave for the reflection.
We are thankful to The Lord who is our only Shepherd and we are the sheep. One of our favorite verses is Psalm 23: . . . ” The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
. . . . Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.”
Many occasions in our life that these verse came to life in the situations we were in. Praise and thank God!
Thank you again Fr Dave and God bless!
Roy and Adele Vargas
I am glad you liked the article. Yes, the Lord is Our Shepherd … in every case!
Fr. Dave,
Thank you for the insightful sharing – my childhood as a son of an immigrant Sicilian fisherman was so different than yours, yet so alike as to following and trusting our Lord.
Deus Lo Vult.
I think that fishermen and shepherds are both especially attuned to the world. Shepherds are attuned to where there is good food and water and safety for their sheep, and fishermen to the wind and the waves, and the subtle clues as to where there are fish to catch. Both are naturally humbled by the environment in which they live. Thanks for your comments!
“I am the Good Shepherd”
“I know my sheep and they know Me”
How re-assuring are these words for us!
Since the shepherds only recognized their shepherd and followed him, so we too only
recognize and follow our shepherd-Jesus.
No appointment is ever necessary to talk to Jesus, and He always has patience and
compassion for us as we struggle to know Him
Yes, Jesus is our one and only Good Shepherd.
Beautifully said, Father Dave.The Good Shepherd is what the world needs now…
Thank you for your teachings of Jesus and of love…
You are very welcome!