First Letter of John 4,7-10.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.
Psalms 72(71),1-2.3-4.7-8.
Of Solomon.
O God, give your judgment to the king; your justice to the son of kings; That he may govern your people with justice, your oppressed with right judgment,
That the mountains may yield their bounty for the people, and the hills great abundance,
That he may defend the oppressed among the people, save the poor and crush the oppressor.
That abundance may flourish in his days, great bounty, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth.
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 6,34-44.
When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said, "This is a deserted place and it is already very late. Dismiss them so that they can go to the surrounding farms and villages and buy themselves something to eat." He said to them in reply, "Give them some food yourselves." But they said to him, "Are we to buy two hundred days' wages worth of food and give it to them to eat?" He asked them, "How many loaves do you have? Go and see." And when they had found out they said, "Five loaves and two fish." So he gave orders to have them sit down in groups on the green grass. The people took their places in rows by hundreds and by fifties. Then, taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to (his) disciples to set before the people; he also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. And they picked up twelve wicker baskets full of fragments and what was left of the fish.Those who ate (of the loaves) were five thousand men.
TEACHER'S PETS
"They were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them at great length." –Mark 6:34
For years, I taught the Bible to my children in fifteen-minute morning sessions before leaving for work. Looking at their little faces, I often recalled Jesus' quote about sheep without a shepherd. Jesus' response to shepherdless sheep is to teach them at great length, and so I imitated Him. Another editor of this booklet attended Presentation Ministries' 12-week course on How to Teach the Bible. When asked his reasons for taking the course, he replied that he wanted to teach his children the Scriptures. As Jesus did, this father also responded by teaching the Scriptures.
The world is filled with sheep without a shepherd. People respond in many ways. Some responses are unthinking and uncharitable: apathy, escapism, criticism, condemnation, exploitation, etc. However, as disciples of Jesus, we imitate His response, which was to immediately teach the shepherdless sheep at great length (Mk 6:34). He followed that by feeding them physically (Mk 6:41-42).
Look around you. Where are the sheep Jesus has put in your life? Are they sitting at your dinner table, sharing your bedroom, in neighboring cubicles, houses, or pews? You can respond to them unthinkingly and uncharitably, or you can respond as Jesus did by teaching them at length. The sheep are waiting for your response. "God's flock is in your midst; give it a shepherd's care" (1 Pt 5:2). Jesus says: "Do you love Me?" Teach and "feed My sheep" (Jn 21:17).
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