20260520 SHEPHERDS GUIDE, GUARD AND SANCTIFY THE FLOCK OF CHRIST
20 May 2026, Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 20:28-38 |
I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, and its power
Paul addressed these words to the elders of the church of Ephesus:
‘Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one of you. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.
‘I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work I did earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. I did this to show you that this is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”’
When he had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. By now they were all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 67(68):29-30,33-36 |
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Show forth, O God, show forth your might,
your might, O God, which you have shown for us.
For the sake of your temple high in Jerusalem
may kings come to you bringing their tribute.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord
who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens.
He thunders his voice, his mighty voice.
Come, acknowledge the power of God.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
His glory is on Israel; his might is in the skies.
God is to be feared in his holy place.
He is the Lord, Israel’s God.
He gives strength and power to his people.
Blessed be God!
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Mt28:19,20 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of all the nations.
I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 17:11-19 |
Father, keep those you have given me true to your name
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
keep those you have given me true to your name,
so that they may be one like us.
While I was with them,
I kept those you had given me true to your name.
I have watched over them
and not one is lost
except the one who chose to be lost,
and this was to fulfil the scriptures.
But now I am coming to you
and while still in the world I say these things
to share my joy with them to the full.
I passed your word on to them,
and the world hated them,
because they belong to the world
no more than I belong to the world.
I am not asking you to remove them from the world,
but to protect them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too may be consecrated in truth.’
SHEPHERDS GUIDE, GUARD AND SANCTIFY THE FLOCK OF CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 20:28-38; Ps 68:29-30,33-36; Jn 17:11-19]
The Scripture readings today address the shepherds of the Church in a special way. In the First Reading, Paul was speaking to the elders of Ephesus. It was his farewell speech to them because it would be the last time he saw them. In the Gospel, Jesus, in His prayer to the Father, pleaded for the safety of the apostles and disciples, and for their fidelity to the message that He had taught them. In both instances, Jesus and Paul foresaw the future of the Church and the trials and challenges ahead. What are the dangers that shepherds, who have been entrusted with the care of the flock of Christ, must be aware of and be ready to defend against?
Paul warned of the distortion of truth by members of the community. The greatest danger in safeguarding the Church of Christ is the division and confusion caused by its own people. Indeed, the enemies within are more insidious than the enemies without. We can deal with external challenges no matter how difficult they are, but dealing with our own people is a much more difficult matter. This was why Paul cautioned the elders about the members causing division within the Church. “I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them.” Indeed, this is still happening today because we have Church leaders who have been led astray by the wayward values of the world. In trying to appease the wishes and preferences of people who have been led astray by the secular and individualistic values of society, some leaders are willing to compromise the teachings of Christ regarding marriage, gender, or the culture of life.
For this reason, shepherds of the Church must guard the integrity of the Gospel. In the Gospel, Jesus prayed, “I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” Jesus reminds us that although we are in the world, our values cannot be that of the world. The values we promote are rooted in the Gospel, the Word of God, and the apostolic teaching. No one must depart from the deposit of faith which has been passed down from the apostles, with St Paul and St Peter as our great missionaries and shepherds. St Paul and the apostles paid with their lives to protect the Church from being led into heresy. Shepherds must therefore, be faithful to the Gospel that has been transmitted to them.
Therefore, the prayer of our Lord for His Church is that we be consecrated in the truth. “Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.” It is significant that Jesus uses the word, “consecrate,” which is the language of our liturgy and in the ordination of priests. To be consecrated in the truth is to live a life of holiness. Holiness is to answer the call to set ourselves apart from the world. We do not follow a fallen world; a world that is in rebellion against God and His Word, living under the slavery of sin. What separates us from the world is our love for Jesus and our obedience to Him. Indeed, the Lord warns His disciples that the world hates us because of our relationship with Him. (Jn 15:19, 21; 17:14) Knowing that His disciples will be attacked by the enemies of the Gospel, Jesus asked the Father that we remain true to His name. In other words, we are called to be true to our sonship through Christ, doing all things for the greater glory of God our Father. And this protection that Jesus asks for us is meant to keep us all in communion with Him so that we might be in communion with each other. (Jn 17:21-23)
It is the duty of shepherds to guide the flock of Christ. Sadly, many Catholics are ignorant of their faith, of the Word of God, and of the doctrines of the Church. They are easily misled after hearing from external sources, non-Catholics, and websites that promote worldly values and seek to compromise the teachings of Christ. By compromising our faith, they believe – even with good intentions – it will help to welcome more people into the Church. But by so doing, we are being short-sighted because we will create more division and confusion within the Church. When our leaders and members do not subscribe fully to the Gospel as taught by the apostolic Church, we end up leading others astray. We must feed the flock of Christ with the truth of the Gospel without compromise or dilution.
Before we can guide and guard others, St Paul tells us that we need to “Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood.” We must be vigilant and watchful for false teachers from within and without. It is paramount that those of us who seek to protect the Church and guide our people are properly instructed in the deposit of faith themselves, and that they are living a consecrated life – that is, a life of holiness. If we do not first and foremost guard our own spiritual life and faith, ensuring that we are deepening our communion with the Father and the Son in the Spirit, we will lose our bearings and direction. Otherwise, the views we share with others will not be rooted in the Gospel, but in some ideology promoted by the world. It is critical that we keep our spiritual life in order and remain in communion with the Church. This was why the Lord prayed for the unity of the Church in His priestly prayer for us all. Without communion with the Church and with our Lord, we lose credibility as leaders. It is for this reason, bishops maintain regular contact with the Bishop of Rome, our Holy Father, so that together, our bishops and the Holy Father can safeguard our faith from being eroded by all kinds of worldly opinions and the manipulation of liberal ideologies.
St Paul shows us how to be a true shepherd to our flock. We are called to imitate his zeal and love for the flock of Christ, as well as his courage in proclaiming the truth without fear or favour, even to the extent of being persecuted, flogged and eventually beheaded. Paul was a true shepherd because he led by example. His intention was always for the greater good of the Church and never for himself; he did not work for his self-interests. He said, “I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work I did earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. I did this to show you that is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.””
Indeed, the way to grow in Christian holiness and spiritual maturity is through our selfless giving. As we sanctify those under our care, we will in turn be sanctified with them. As leaders in the Church, the way to holiness is to help others become holy. This is because we cannot sanctify others unless we are first sanctified ourselves. And as we sanctify others, we become even more sanctified. This is true even when it comes to guiding our people in faith. The more we guide them in the truth, the more we reinforce within ourselves the truth we have learnt and received. Indeed, we cannot guide them in the truth unless we have informed ourselves in the teachings of Christ and His Church. The sign that we are walking in the right direction is when we and our flock grow in holiness, expressed by a life of faith, hope, and charity.
So let us be inspired by St Paul’s deep love for the Church. St Paul served Christ and His Church with generosity and self-sacrifice. “So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one of you. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.” Paul was always concerned about the unity of the Church and the integrity of the Gospel. Hence, let us pray with Paul and our Lord that Church leaders will be true to the Gospel that has been entrusted to them.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
