The Church’s Liturgical Calendar returns to Ordinary Time when we walk with Jesus as He goes about His public ministry. Jesus sees the crowd of people gathering around Him and His heart is moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus is their shepherd and is ours as well. He wants to be with us and to walk with us as He does with His twelve disciples. Jesus teaches them and then sends them out to proclaim the kingdom of heaven is at hand and to show the world the great love of God by curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and driving out demons. By our baptism, we too, are invited by Jesus to go out into the world and do as His disciples did, having faith in Jesus and trusting that Jesus will indeed work through us and with us. We are all called and prepared by Jesus to labor for others, helping each other on our journey to heaven. We are God’s people, the sheep of His fock, and Jesus is our Good Shepherd.
A blessed and happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there, may St. Joseph help you in your vocation.