In
the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
“When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion
on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he
began to teach them many things.”
What a description of the general state of mankind! “Like sheep
without a shepherd.” Everyone running his own way, scurrying to and
fro, in a mad dash to dash madly until the end comes and everything
stops dead.
In today's Gospel lesson, you heard how the people of the Galilean
towns and villages were scurrying about in such a manner to get a
glimpse of Jesus, to hear Him preach, and maybe even to have their
ailments healed by His sacred touch. In such holy fervor, they were
missing the point of actually listening to what Jesus was saying to
them, much less doing what He commanded of them.
In this way, they were not so much different than you today.
Possibly, you may not spend your life rushing about in holy fervor,
but how much time do you spend distractedly busy with the this, that,
and the other of this body and life?
