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Lectio/Reflection

11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
The Heart of the Shepherd
Matthew 9:36—10:8
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The Heart of the Shepherd
Imagine standing in a crowded place - a shopping center, an airport, a busy street—and simply watching people pass by. Most of us would notice the surface details. We'd see faces, conversations, activities, and distractions.
Jesus sees something deeper.
In today's passage from the Gospel of Matthew, he looks upon the crowds and sees people who are "troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd." What is striking is that he doesn't begin by judging them. He doesn't ask why they wandered or who is responsible for their situation. He simply sees their need. Perhaps that is one of the most important lessons of the spiritual life: learning to see people as Christ sees them.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus' heart is moved with compassion. Not irritation. Not disappointment. Compassion. He responds from the deepest part of himself. That matters because compassion changes the way we approach others. When we see someone's struggles through the lens of compassion, we become less interested in fixing them and more interested in accompanying them. We listen more carefully. We become slower to judge. We make room for their story. In doing so, we begin reflecting something of the heart of Christ.
Before sending anyone out, Jesus gives a surprising instruction. He tells the disciples to pray that the master of the harvest will send out laborers for his harvest. Prayer comes before action, strategy, or effort. Jesus reminds his disciples that the harvest ultimately belongs to God.
That can be a liberating truth. Most of us carry concern for people we love. We worry about them. We pray for them. Sometimes we wish we could change their circumstances or make decisions for them. Yet this Gospel gently reminds us that God loves them even more than we do. The work of grace begins long before we arrive and continues long after we leave. We are invited to participate in that work, but we are not asked to control it.

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Lectio/Reflection

Only after prayer does Jesus send the disciples. And whom does he send? Not experts. Not people who have everything figured out. He sends ordinary disciples who are still learning, still growing, and still discovering what it means to follow him. That should encourage us. The mission of the Church has never depended on perfect people. It depends on people willing to share what they themselves have received.
When we hear Jesus speak about the lost sheep, many of us immediately think of someone we love. A son or daughter. A friend. A neighbor. Someone carrying wounds or burdens we may not fully understand. The temptation is to feel responsible for bringing them back, fixing the problem, or finding the perfect words. But perhaps today's Gospel invites us into a different posture.
What if our first task is simply to love them well?
What if mission begins not with pressure but with compassion, not with argument but with presence, not with anxiety but with trust?
The shepherd's heart is never driven by control. It is shaped by love. And perhaps that is where our own mission begins—not by carrying the weight of another person's journey, but by entrusting them, through prayer and accompaniment, to the care of the Good Shepherd, who continues to seek, guide, and love them even when we cannot see the path ahead.
Amen
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As we go through this week, let’s keep these thoughts in our mind: "Lord, help me to see people through your eyes. Where I am tempted to judge, give me compassion. Where I am tempted to push, give me patience. Help me to trust that you are already at work in the hearts of those I love."
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A Practice for the Week
The Compassion List
Write down the names of three people who weigh on your heart.
Do not make a plan for them.
Do not try to solve anything.
Simply pray for them each day.
Ask that they experience God's love, peace, and guidance.
Then entrust them to Christ.
Allow prayer to replace anxiety.
Allow compassion to replace pressure.
Allow trust to replace control.
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Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus,
you looked upon the crowds with compassion and saw their deepest needs.
Teach us to see others as you see them.
Fill our hearts with patience, kindness, and trust.
Help us to be faithful witnesses of your love, and to entrust those we care about to your gentle care.
We ask this in your name,
Amen.
________________________________________Please keep me and my family in your prayers, as we will pray for you.
Peace,
Dcn Bill Brawner
PS If you found something in this reflection that touched your heart, please forward it to, or Share with, friends and relatives. The Church’s mission is to share the Gospel ‘with all the world’. You can do your small part by sharing these reflections for their consideration, meditation and discussion.

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11th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
The Heart of the Shepherd

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The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Year A)
“One Bread, One Body” – Nourished for Communion

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity (Year A)
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Pentecost Sunday (Year A)
“Filled with the Holy Spirit” –
From Fear to Witness

The Ascension of the Lord (Year A)
“I Am With You Always” – Sent, but Not Alone

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A)
“I Will Not Leave You Orphans” – Discovering the Presence Within

Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A)
“I Am the Way” – Trusting the Path That Leads to Life

Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)
“My Sheep Hear My Voice” – Trusting the Voice That Leads

Third Sunday of Easter (Year A)
“He Was Made Known to Them” – Recognizing Christ in the Breaking

Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) – Year A
“Can I really trust what I cannot see?”

Easter Sunday – Year A
“Can new life really begin again?”

Palm Sunday – Year A
“This is not what we thought it would be.”

Fourth Sunday of Lent – Year A
“What might I not be seeing?”

Third Sunday of Lent – Year A
From Light to Desire… from knowing to longing

books

REFLECTIONS ON THE WORD OF GOD - Year C, Enjoy reading these lectio divina reflections. You might get an insight from these reflections that spark a thought for your own interpretations of Scripture. There is one refection for each of the Sundays in the Liturgical year C.

Walking with Cheetahs, the story of my participation in the CRS Global Fellows delegation to Zambia, is available on Amazon and other online retailers.

Let Your Inner Angel Soar, You have made him little less than the angels,and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:6 A Guide to a Joy-Filled Life: How the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit can lead to health, happiness, love and unity

Before We Become Extinct, my book on Christian treatment of the environment, was published in 2008, before Laudato si; it is still relevant today. It is available at online retailers in both paperback and e-book editions.