I recently saw on Facebook a photo of a village in Portugal where the lambs are not strong enough to climb the high mountain. And so they are placed on small pouches on a donkey’s back and carried up to the green pastures to be fed. This gospel came to mind. In our Gospel reading, Jesus speaks of feeding and tending His lambs and sheep.
As I reflected on this reading, I realized that we are both those who are fed and those who feed. Aren't we at times thirsty and hungry...not so much for food and drink, which we have a large amount and variety of here, but for more intangible things, maybe for someone to stop for a visit and a chat, or for some good news about a family member who is sick, you might be very busy and you thirst for just some quiet time alone, or a day with no meetings or responsibilities. But at other times, we are called to feed one another.
When Jesus asks us, Do you love me? And we respond... like Peter in the second reading, not with gold and silver but with what we have, we give...
It may be just a smile and a greeting when we pass in the hall, or a thank you to an aide or an employee, stopping to spend time listening to a Sister with news to share. Most important of all, it may be offering to pray for someone who needs a special prayer.
As one of the commentators on these readings wrote, “When we do these seemingly small acts of kindness, we are being a living witness to the Gospel and offering sustenance to a world hungry for hope. Another commentator says that the key words in this gospel are the two at the end, "Follow me.”
And think about where Jesus takes us when we follow Him. It might be into a Sister’s room just down the hall. For some of you, it might be up to Four Corners to hold a sign at a rally or outside a congressman’s office, or to a table to sign a letter. It might be into the switchboard to take a shift no one has signed up for. Or it might be here, into the Chapel, to pray.
Our mission now is what we sang in the beautiful opening hymn. It is to be the Presence of Jesus, to show compassion's face and listening ear, to be a voice of hope, a Bridge of Hope
I'd like to end with Teresa of Avila's words, which many of you probably have heard. They sum up our message from today's readings:
“Yours are the hands with which Christ is to bless all people now, Yours are the feet with which Christ is to go about doing good, Yours are the eyes through which Christ's compassion is to look out on the world.”
So, let's go now to feed His lambs and tend his sheep. And if we meet a few goats along the way, let's give them a little food too.
– Sister Mary Jo Heman, OP
Sister Mary Jo is a passionate advocate for racial justice and criminal justice reform.
A dedicated member of our Justice committees, she contributes to our community through her steadfast commitment to equity, compassion, and systemic change.