I remember well when my Mother passed away the many people who came out to give their sympathy

to my Father, my brother and I. One thing that struck me was how many people used the expression, I know how you feel. I am sure that we have all used that expression in similar circumstances. But, when I thought about some of those who said this to me I realized that they really had no idea of how I felt, because they still had their parents. I didnt make a thing of it, but realized that it may not have been the most realistic or sensitive thing for them to say to me. In the gospel tonight/today (Mark 6:30-34) we hear how Jesus responded to the people who sought him out. They would not leave him, or the apostles, alone. They sought his profound preaching and they sought his healing. The preaching of others did not resonate with them and present them with the fullness of revelation, as did that of Jesus. No one could heal the sick and bring release to the possessed as Jesus could. Under these circumstances it was difficult for him to say No. He did have the words of everlasting life, and he did have the power to heal and to forgive sins. Indeed, they were those sheep without a shepherd, and he was it! He was their shepherd! Despite being tired and seeking out peace and quiet, Jesus did respond to the needs of the people. At the end of the gospel we hear that he had compassion for them. This word compassion is very significant to me. It means to suffer with. That is a world of difference from pity. When I think of pity I think of holding the person at a distance, feeling sorry for them, but not really wanting to get involved. Perhaps we have pity for someone asking for a handout, when we pass them a few dollars and go on our way. However, compassion implies that we try to imagine the situation and feelings of the other person. This is not easy, or not even desirable. I cant honestly say to someone who is suffering from cancer I know how you feel, or to someone who is trying to free themselves from addiction to alcohol, I know how you feel. I honestly dont know how they feel! I can imagine, but I dont know the true predicament, the fear, or the doubt that they have. It is like when we ask someone How are you feeling?, and then we regret it when they actually tell us how they do feel! Do I want to imagine the feeling of loss that a friend feels who has lost a loved one? Do I want to imagine the thoughts and feelings of the person who is undergoing treatment for cancer? Do I want to imagine the battles of the recovering alcoholic? Let me take the liberty to say that most of us would say No. Life is messy, and our own life is messy enough without getting into the stuff of other peoples lives. Yet today we celebrate that Jesus has compassion for us. He is one with us in our loss, and our fear, and our battles. He is one with us. He knows and understands and feels our pain, as well as our joys and victories. That is because he is the Good Shepherd, and the shepherd is all about the sheep. We are the sheep of his pasture and he is intimately involved in our lives, including the messes of our lives. Just like in the gospel, he does not run away from us when we approach him, or try to escape from us. Rather, he is there for us! He is compassionate! He enters into our lives with his saving word and with his saving grace. He wants to enlighten us and bring us true freedom through his truth. He seeks to heal and raise us up.

In the First Reading from the Prophet Jeremiah (23:1-6) God assures the people that he will send them shepherds to guide them. They will no longer fear and tremble, but will find security with them. None of them will be lost or go missing! Jesus will be that shepherd! In the Second Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians (2:13-18) Paul reminds the Ephesians that they have been reconciled with God by the blood of Christ. Jesus has entered into our mess and has brought us peace with God. In the Psalm (23) we echoed the words of the Psalmist, The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. That is a declaration of faith that Jesus our Good Shepherd fulfills our needs. He leads and guides us. He nurtures and cares for us. He protects us. The readings for this weekend invite us to recognize and reflect upon Jesus as our Good Shepherd. Do we recognize his compassion? In our need, whatever it may be, do we feel he suffers with us? Or do we feel he is far off, uninterested and disengaged? Just as the people of his time and place hounded him with their need, perhaps we too often hound Jesus with our need. Has he answered us? Maybe he answered us in a way we did not expect, or at the time did not understand. We may have thought it was the wrong answer. However, with the passage of time we may have seen that Jesus knew more about us, and about life, and about the situation than we gave him credit for. He really did suffer with us! Our gospel also asks us to go one step further to be compassionate with others. To make efforts real efforts to suffer with others. It isnt enough to say, I know how you feel, especially when it is an outright lie. We need to take the risk and enter into the mess of others with the love and truth of Christ. It is a risk, because we may not want to know, we may not want to feel, we may not want to be a part of it. But it is compassion that heals and raises up, not pity. It is compassion that makes us shepherds of one another good shepherds. Are we all about the sheep, or only about ourselves? What does Jesus the Good Shepherd teach us today?