St. Therese of Lisieux made a point of going the extra mile in kindness towards those people who really got under her skin. It was part of her own brand of Everyday Stewardship — thanking God for all His creation, even the parts with which, in her own humanness, she struggled to cope.

One of the most outstanding miracles of the prophet Elisha was the multiplication of loaves. A man brings food to the prophet and he says: bring this food to the people so they can eat — the exact number was twenty barley loaves. Elisha knows that it would not be enough, but he insists on distributing them to the people; not only will it be sufficient, but there will be some leftovers. Some of his disciples objected saying, that they would not be enough. Elisha knew that God is on his side and insists on distributing them because not only will it be sufficient, but there will be leftovers.

Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock! When you hear these strong words from the Old Testament, you’re probably thinking, thank goodness I don’t have any sheep — dodged that bullet. Nobody misled here! No flock scattered on my watch! However, we are all shepherds of a kind, called to tend our own sheep: our families, our parishes, our communities.

The Gospel shows us the compassionate heart of Jesus as a Shepherd. Jesus sees the vast crowds of people waiting for Him on the other side of the lake. His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd. Seeing through their heart and recognizing the condition of His disciples and the people waiting for them, He pitied them. The disciples are tired and have little time to rest and even eat as people flock to wherever they go. While working for the vineyard of the Lord, we also need to take care of ourselves. That is the message Jesus wanted to convey to His disciples. They need time to rest, recharge, and reconnect with the Father in prayer (in a deserted place).

Discipleship entails being a missionary, for mission is an essential part of being a disciple. The Father sent the Son, Jesus’ mission to present the Kingdom of God here and now. Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you. (Jn. 20:21) As the Father sent Jesus, Jesus sent His disciples, the twelve (12), to be witnesses. And now, we are also sent by Jesus to be witnesses to the whole world. The same is true with the Church. Every Christian disciple is missionary by their baptism. Disciples sent to continue the Church’s apostolic mission in the communion of faith and life with Jesus. The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a call to the apostolate as well. (CCC. 863)

In my experience, there are two kinds of people: the folks who kick off their shoes the second they walk through the door, and the ones who don’t.

In the Gospel last Sunday, Jesus tells us that FAITH opens the door to the power of God’s love and mercy. The key to receiving His power of healing and raising us back to life is faith. Jesus told the woman hemorrhaging for 12 years: your faith has saved you. And to Jairus, whose daughter died before Jesus could reach her, not to fear but have faith. But what can He do if there is so much doubt and the absence of FAITH? The readings this Sunday give us a picture and example of people in their terrible state or condition. He could not perform much healing because of their lack of faith. So, Jesus went to other villages to continue His ministry of healing and teaching. The Lord sends the prophet Ezekiel to the people of Israel to convey His message to them. It’s a difficult task for the prophet because the Israelites are obstinate and rebellious people. The Lord knows their rebellious heart but still did not give up on them. Through Ezekiel, God wants them to hear His words and to bring them back to Him. The people of this time are as rebellious as the people during the time of Ezekiel. Even though we have the Sacred Scriptures to remind us of His Law and Will. Plus, the Church’s mission to make everpresent the teaching of our Lord and God.

Prophet. There’s a heaviness to this word. It’s weighted down with meaning. We think of prophets and we think of Charlton Heston with wild hair and a booming voice, reaching out his hand to work wonders of nature by the grace of God. We think of prophets and we think of ancient Biblical history someone far away, someone so removed from our everyday life. A prophet is someone who knows something we don’t.