Thank You

I couldn’t help but feel that this passage from the Office of Readings this morning by St. Asterius of Amasea was perfect for the anniversary of Pope Francis’ election:

“Let us then be shepherds like the Lord… When one of them was separated from the flock and lost its way, that shepherd did not remain with the sheep who kept together at pasture. No, he went off to look for the stray. When he found it, he did not chastise it; he did not use rough blows to drive it back, but gently placed it on his own shoulders and carried it back to the flock… Let us look closely at the hidden meaning of this parable. The sheep is more than a sheep, the shepherd more than a shepherd. They are examples enshrining holy truths. They teach us that we should not look on men as lost or beyond hope; we should not abandon them when they are in danger or be slow to come to their help.”

Thank you Lord for such a good Shepherd you have given us!