Gospel – Mark 6:30-34
The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat. So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them. 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.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
764 “This Kingdom shines out before men in the word, in the works and in the presence of Christ.” To welcome Jesus’ word is to welcome “the Kingdom itself.” The seed and beginning of the Kingdom are the “little flock” of those whom Jesus came to gather around him, the flock whose shepherd he is. They form Jesus’ true family. Those whom he thus gathered around him, he taught a new “way of acting” and a prayer of their own.
754 “The Church is, accordingly, a sheepfold, the sole and necessary gateway to which is Christ. It is also the flock of which God himself foretold that he would be the shepherd, and whose sheep, even though governed by human shepherds, are unfailingly nourished and led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd and Prince of Shepherds, who gave his life for his sheep.
From “The Great Crusade of Mercy” Testimony of Catalina Rivas (Preface Paragraph 3)
If the Lord should reappear today, He might have the same impression of the multitude that He had two thousand years ago, and the same words would be expressed about them: “He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mark 6:34). It seems that the sheep scattered in different parts of the world have stopped listening to the voice of the Shepherd. Therefore, many are those who are abandoned, who suffer from hunger, who are wounded, and who weep because there is no one to care about them. Many find themselves in the depths of an abyss, in darkness without anyone able to offer them hope. In one way or another, all of them cry out and implore the Shepherd not to give up His search for them and to return them to His flock.
From “The Great Crusade of Mercy” Testimony of Catalina Rivas (CM-91:2)
2) Oh, you little ones who bleat almost continuously, be calm. I will nourish you, you little hungry ones; you will not die of cold. Yes, I am your Good Shepherd and you are My sheep. I know you all and you all know Me because you are Mine. Oh, My heavenly flock, how greatly the One who sacrificed Himself for you, loves you!
From “The Great Crusade of Salvation” Testimony of Catalina Rivas (CS-16:6)
6) I have not left you. I am here teaching you, trying to obtain a place of pureness in your hearts, in which to rest My head.
Each week we will be presenting a portion of the following Sunday’s readings, and linking it to relevant parts of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and messages from the Testimony of Catalina. Pay special attention to the italicized underlined sections. This Sunday it is asked, What kind of soil will you be for the word of God? We hope this is inspiring and educational. Any comments you have are certainly welcomed.Tim Francis prepared this educational program to help you increase your faith and love for the Holy Trinity and our Blessed Mother. His website is http://YouShallBelieve.com
I have known Tim for many years and recommend his work highly. He is a strong advocate for the “The Real Body and Blood Of Jesus” and the numerous miracles that occur on a daily basis. Both of us are greatly inspired by the amazing writings of Catalina Rivas. Catalina is one of the few individuals in history who personally experienced the “Stigmata Of Jesus Christ.”