Jesus as your shepherd will lead you in the direction of peace and fullness of life. Jesus will guard your soul, and kindness will follow you.

Today we pray for vocations—and mothers. Not such a strange pairing because many vocations into this world come by way of mothers. Many learned to say their prayers from their mothers and were brought to Mass (later dragged to Mass) and sacraments and other parish involvements because it was important to their mothers.

I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

The parable of the lost sheep is not only about a young shepherd carrying the newly found sheep back home but about the sheep’s maddening habit of running away. A good shepherd may be exasperated, exhausted, and frustrated by the sheep’s foolishness, but he or she doesn’t leave them to their own devices.

Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.

Today’s good news: God cares! God sent God’s Son, the Good Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit to save the people. God guides and provides, the psalm says.

There is nothing cuter than a fuzzy baby lamb. But what about when they get older and are bona-fide sheep? Not so much.

Without the Good Shepherd, we are alone in a meaningless story. Weariness and fear leave us feeling overwhelmed, unable to move. Cynicism leaves us doubting, unable to dream. —Paul E. Miller