20250627 THE SHEPHERD’S HEART
27 June 2025, Friday, Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus
First reading |
Ezekiel 34:11-16 |
I will look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view
The Lord God says this: I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall bring them out of the countries where they are; I shall gather them together from foreign countries and bring them back to their own land. I shall pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in every inhabited place in the land. I shall feed them in good pasturage; the high mountains of Israel will be their grazing ground. There they will rest in good grazing ground; they will browse in rich pastures on the mountains of Israel. I myself will pasture my sheep, I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) |
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
Second reading | Romans 5:5-11 |
Now we have been reconciled by the death of his Son, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son
The love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Having died to make us righteous, is it likely that he would now fail to save us from God’s anger? When we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, we were still enemies; now that we have been reconciled, surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son? Not merely because we have been reconciled but because we are filled with joyful trust in God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have already gained our reconciliation.
Gospel Acclamation | Mt11:29 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn10:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 15:3-7 |
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner
Jesus spoke this parable to the scribes and Pharisees:
‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.’
THE SHEPHERD’S HEART
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Ez 34:11-16; Ps 23:1-6; Romans 5:5-11; Luke 15:3-7]
Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is significant that, in the Catholic Church, the liturgy is rich with celebrations of salvific events in our history – whether they pertain to our Lord, our Blessed Mother, or the saints. In addition to commemorating the redemptive work of our Lord and the unique roles of particular saints in our lives, the Church also dedicates certain days, and even Sundays, to current events and pressing needs to draw attention to our social responsibilities in the world. Such practices underscore the importance of liturgical celebrations in our lives and highlight the sacramental nature of our faith. We are not purely spiritual beings; we need to see, to feel, and to touch.
The feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is precisely the means by which the Church, through this devotion to the Heart of Jesus, leads us to the heart of God. How can we know the heart of God? Does God even have a heart? How could He, when God is pure Spirit? To speak of the heart of God is an anthropomorphic of expressing that God feels with us, for us, and loves us with His entire being. When we speak of the human heart, we are not referring merely to the physiological organ, but to the seat of feelings, love, passion, pain and joy – because the heart, like the brain, is central to our human experience. So, for us to celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus is but a means for us to enter into the very heart of God.
Jesus is able to show us the heart of God because He is God and man. Jesus told Philip, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves.” (Jn 14:10f) Jesus shows us the love of His Father in His passion on the cross. On the cross, His heart was pierced with a lance, and blood and water flowed. Indeed, the heart of Jesus is one of compassion and love.
Today, the scripture readings portray the Heart of Jesus as the heart of a Shepherd. Firstly, this Shepherd cares deeply for us and is concerned for our well-being. In the prophet Ezekiel, he prophesied that God would send them the true shepherd who would look after them and unite them together as a people. “I am going to look after my flock myself and keep all of it in view. As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when he stands up in the middle of his scattered sheep, so shall I keep my sheep in view. I shall rescue them from wherever they have been scattered during the mist and darkness. I shall bring them out of the countries where they are; I shall gather them together from foreign countries and bring them back to their own land.” God stands in the middle of His sheep and ensures that we do not lose our direction and that we graze in rich pasture. A shepherd is not a hireling. In John’s gospel, Jesus said about the hired hand. “The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away – and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep.” (Jn 10:12f) The Shepherd is identified with the sheep and is one with them in his life.
Secondly, the heart of a Good Shepherd is a heart that seeks out the lost sheep of Israel. He will not rest until He has brought each one back. Every sheep is important to the Lord. God does not love us merely as a group, but as individuals. In the parable of the lost sheep, He would leave the ninety-nine behind in search of the missing one. God does not say there are still ninety-nine left; what does it matter if one is lost? No. “He would leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it. And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? ‘Rejoice with me,’ he would say ‘I have found my sheep that was lost.'”
Unfortunately, we no longer have many shepherds of this kind today. Many Catholics have left the Church – some because they have been led astray, others because they were hurt or wounded by fellow Catholics, including religious leaders. Still others have simply grown negligent in practicing the faith. Young people, especially after receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation, drift away because they are ridiculed by their worldly peers and eventually give in to the temptations of secular values. But how many of us seek to befriend them and bring them back to Church? When a fellow-Catholic leaves, we often do not bother too much, because our churches are still full, and losing a few do not matter very much as we have more than enough to care for.
This is why we need to learn from the Lord to treat everyone as an individual. Everyone is a child of God who needs to be loved, respected and cared for. We need to learn from the heart of Jesus, the Good Shepherd who cares for each one of us individually. As the prophet Ezekiel said of the true Shepherd. “I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will show them where to rest – it is the Lord who speaks. I shall look for the lost one, bring back the stray, bandage the wounded and make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat and healthy. I shall be a true shepherd to them.”
A point of consideration is the scene at Calvary, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, the Good Thief turned to Him and said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Lk 23:42f) Even in His agony on the cross, Jesus remained attentive to the needs and sufferings of others. As He was breathing His last, “the Lord turned His eyes to His blessed Mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her and said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” (Jn 19:26f)
This is the heart of the Shepherd – one who places the needs of others before His own, even in the midst of His own suffering. He looks beyond His pain to see and feel the pain of others. This is something we can learn from Him – too often, we are absorbed in our own pain and unable to feel with others. We are always thinking of our suffering and our inconvenience. Instead of focusing on ourselves, the Lord invites us to go beyond ourselves. Indeed, in the process of reaching out to others, we often forget our own pain. This is the secret of love. When we are so tired from helping others, we have no time to think of our own sorrows. This explains why the antidote to depression is always to invite the person to reach out to others – as they share the pain of others, they come to realize that theirs is not more heavy than others.
The mark of a Shepherd’s heart is when one is ready to die for those under his care. In the gospel of John, Jesus said of Himself as the Good Shepherd. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:10f) In the letter to the Romans, St Paul reflected on the love of God for us in the person of Christ. “This hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given us. We were still helpless when at his appointed moment Christ died for sinful men. It is not easy to die even for a good man – though of course for someone really worthy, a man might be prepared to die – but what proves that God loves us is that Christ died for us while we were still sinners.” Indeed, the heart of God is one of unconditional love even for His enemies and those who do not love Him. God does not only care for those who love Him.
So today, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, we thank God for showing us what the Heart of God is in Jesus, the Good Shepherd who looks after us, guides us, leads us back when we lose ourselves. Most of all, He loves each one of us individually and uniquely, giving each a place in His heart. We, too, can turn to Him with confidence and love, knowing that He will be there for us and will lead us to life.
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.
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