20260724 ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE SHEPHERDS
24 July 2026, Friday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading |
Jeremiah 3:14-17 |
Come back, my disloyal children
Come back, disloyal children – it is the Lord who speaks – for I alone am your Master. I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion. And when you have increased and become many in the land, then – it is the Lord who speaks – no one will ever say again: Where is the ark of the covenant of the Lord? There will be no thought of it, no memory of it, no regret for it, no making of another. When that time comes, Jerusalem shall be called: The Throne of the Lord; all the nations will gather there in the name of the Lord and will no longer follow the dictates of their own stubborn hearts.
Responsorial Psalm |
Jeremiah 31:10-13 |
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
O nations, hear the word of the Lord,
proclaim it to the far-off coasts.
Say: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him
and guard him as a shepherd guards his flock.’
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
For the Lord has ransomed Jacob,
has saved him from an overpowering hand.
They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion,
they will stream to the blessings of the Lord.
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Then the young girls will rejoice and dance,
the men, young and old, will be glad.
I will turn their mourning into joy,
I will console them, give gladness for grief.
The Lord will guard us as a shepherd guards his flock.
Gospel Acclamation | Jm1:21 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Accept and submit to the word
which has been planted in you
and can save your souls.
Alleluia!
Gospel |
Matthew 13:18-23 |
The man who hears the word and understands it yields a rich harvest
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are to hear the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom without understanding, the evil one comes and carries off what was sown in his heart: this is the man who received the seed on the edge of the path. The one who received it on patches of rock is the man who hears the word and welcomes it at once with joy. But he has no root in him, he does not last; let some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, and he falls away at once. The one who received the seed in thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this world and the lure of riches choke the word and so he produces nothing. And the one who received the seed in rich soil is the man who hears the word and understands it; he is the one who yields a harvest and produces now a hundredfold, now sixty, now thirty.’
ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE SHEPHERDS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [JER 3:14-17; JER 31:10-13; MT 13:18-23]
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah himself faced tremendous difficulties in being the mouthpiece of God. He was sent to a rebellious people who rejected the Word of God. Still, he kept appealing from his heart to the people of Judah: “Come back, disloyal children — it is the Lord who speaks — for I alone am your Master.” It is a divine call to His people, a free invitation from God to come to Him for salvation.
But how does God make this promise a reality? We are told, “I will take one from a town, two from a clan, and bring you to Zion. I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and these shall feed you on knowledge and discretion.”
God will choose wise shepherds and prophets to lead the people back to Him. The promise of good shepherds applies first of all to kings. Among all the kings who were the anointed ones of God, David was a shepherd after God’s own heart (1 Sam 13:14; cf. Ps 78:70-72). Unfortunately, not all kings were good shepherds. However, this verse also contains a promise for us in our times as well, when God gives priests and teachers to the Church to preach and teach His Word and to guide the People of God.
Jeremiah looked forward to the day when God’s people would be brought back to Jerusalem after their exile in Babylon. His hope was that all the nations of the world would turn away from evil and gather in Jerusalem. He even prophesied that Judah and Israel would be reunited as they put aside their differences and came back home to the land God gave them. Instead of worshipping separately in different sanctuaries, they would worship together at the Temple.
The way to return to God begins with the proclamation of His Word. Through the Word of God, people will be called to repentance. Indeed, St. Paul reminds Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). St. Paul also urges preachers to persevere in their work because there are many false teachers in the world misleading people into sin, as is true for us today as well: “I solemnly urge you: proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully” (2 Tim 4:1-2, 5).
It is not easy to be a shepherd, prophet, or teacher; the tasks of leadership and teaching can be very daunting indeed. How, then, can we find encouragement in our ministry of proclaiming the Word of God?
The Parable of the Sower is told not so much for the listeners of the Word, but more for the sowers of the Word. In His ministry, Jesus was already facing many challenges from the religious leaders. He was ejected from the synagogue, and they were seeking ways to eliminate Him because He was seen as a troublemaker — one who broke the Law. Even among the crowd, not all came to hear His message; many sought only physical healing. This is similar to many people today who come to the Church only to petition for favours, needs, and especially physical healing.
It is within this context that Jesus wanted to prepare His disciples and apostles for the challenges of ministry. They needed to be ready for failures and rejections, and they could not expect people to respond to their message quickly. Nevertheless, there will always be some who respond to the Word of God. Indeed, God assured Jeremiah that the people would be reunited once again and return to Him: “And when you have increased and multiplied in the land, in those days, says the Lord, they shall no more say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the Lord.’ It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; it shall not be made again. At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord, and all nations shall gather to it, to the name of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil heart” (Jer 3:16-17).
Let us be clear that this will be a process. It takes time for people to repent and come to self-awareness because the grace of God works alongside human nature. And because human nature is weakened and the human will is disoriented, people are often tempted by human weakness, the things of the world, and the deceit of Satan. Therefore, we must seek to understand, rather than condemn, those who reject or are slow to respond to the Word of God. We must take these difficulties in stride — doing our best while leaving the results to the work of the Holy Spirit. Our task is to teach and inform, not to transform lives, because only God can give people the grace to change.
This call for perseverance is the central theme of today’s Gospel for both teachers and disciples. In the final analysis, true converts are those who live a life of active discipleship. Although the Gospel is proclaimed widely today, as it was during the time of our Lord, the truth remains that not all hearers embrace the Word of God with conviction, devotion, and perseverance. Indeed, many people raise their hands in evangelistic rallies or attend Mass regularly out of routine rather than an act of personal faith in the Lord. Some even serve in Church ministries in the name of God, but if you look closely at how they serve, it becomes clear it is for their own self-interest rather than a desire to bring Christ to others. Such people will be shocked on the day of judgment: “On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?’ Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers'” (Mt 7:22-23).
The Parable of the Sower reminds us preachers of the need for good soil to receive God’s call. There are those who hear the message but fail to listen intently, digest the Word, or reflect upon it; theirs is a superficial hearing or reading of the Scriptures. Because the message never takes root in their hearts and minds, they are easily tempted by worldly living. Simply hearing the Gospel does not mean we understand it or have embraced it deeply. Sometimes a closed mind or pride prevents people from accepting the Word as it is, leading them to twist Scripture to fit their lifestyle rather than conforming their life to Scripture. Hence, the Lord said, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown on the path” (Mt 13:19).
For others, the issue is a shallow commitment: “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away” (Mt 13:20-21). They are not involved in the life of the Christian community, nor are they consistent in prayer or Scripture reading. They fail to grow in faith after a retreat or conversion experience because they have not calculated the demands of God’s Word. Such a shallow heart prevents the seed from taking root. A superficial reception of the Gospel is insufficient to transform a person’s life.
Then, some are easily distracted by worldly temptations. Jesus compares them to “what was sown among thorns; this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing” (Mt 13:22). If we are not prayerful, we easily fall prey to worldly distractions — power, money, fame, and security. The Gospel is filled with warnings about the deceitfulness of wealth. Often, worldly interests lead people to neglect prayer, the Gospel, and community life. Even preachers can be tempted to lose their missionary zeal when lured by the deceptive pleasures of wealth and superficial entertainment.
Nevertheless, by the grace of God, there will always be those who dare to believe in the Gospel over worldly values. These are the ones who dare to make a difference in their world in the name of Jesus. These believing disciples keep an open mind, remain willing to learn, and are never too proud or busy to listen to the Word of God. Such disciples will bear much fruit.
This is why we must not despair when our work seems to fail. The harvest is certain; this is the climax of the parable. We should not expect every single seed we sow to germinate and bear fruit, but that should never stop us from sowing. We can be confident that some seeds will fall on good ground and yield a rich harvest. Therefore, let us not demand instant or perfect results. It often takes time for the seed to germinate in human hearts, and we may only see the fruit many years later. We must work on God’s timeline, not our own. Be patient, do your best, and leave the rest to the grace of God.
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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