R. Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord;
I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

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.

My dear friends in Christ, a blessed Sunday, the Lord’s day of rest, a blessed Domenica.

My brothers and sisters, we DO need to be shepherded: Let us be fed by Christ the Good Shepherd! Reflect with me for a moment, and consider for a moment today the whole Mass in its entirety:

The Penitential Rite is where we seek with a sincere heart God’s infinite mercy. Then then Gloria – glory to God in the highest, chanted or sung like today. He alone is the Lord, he alone the Most High.

The Word of God, let it feed you every Sunday:

Today the prophet Jeremiah expresses the call of all the prophets to truly and faithfully shepherd the people of God and to bring them the very Bread of Life Himself. Psalm 23 today: my cup overflows. Saint Paul says to the Ephesians, “We have been redeemed and bought back by the Blood of Christ.” And in today’s Gospel proclaimed, Jesus goes off to rest and to pray so that He could go back and shepherd the people gathered, and all of humanity through all of its hungers.

Consider then the Creed: the mysteries of our holy Catholic faith, and how crucial the words, “I believe.” Reflect upon our prayers of petition: our pleas before the Lord to feed not only our selves but to feed our bishop, the leaders of nations, the sick … prayers for our silent necessities, for the whole Church, for all of the world. We pray that He the Lord feed us all. And then reflect upon the gifts of bread and wine, presented by the people, to become the very Body and Blood of Christ.

I encourage you: on the paten itself, with the host to become the very body of Christ, place your entire life.

Then consider the Holy Sacrifice on the altar, as we offer Jesus Christ Himself, to the Father for our salvation and the salvation of the whole world. Then the Our Father: Give us this day our Daily Bread, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who offend us … We are not worthy but He feeds us with his very self. The prayer of thanksgiving … The blessing …

And then there is sending out of the entire assembly of all the faithful into daily life. As you reflect upon the Mass, I encourage you to see that we have indeed been fed by Christ the Good Shepherd. We are His people, a people with Christ the Good Shepherd, and at every single Mass celebrated, He alone feeds our hungry souls. Amen.

Monsignor Michael J. Cariglio, Jr., Rector, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Basilica and Saint Anthony Parish.

Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,
says the LORD.
Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
against the shepherds who shepherd my people:
You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.
You have not cared for them,
but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
from all the lands to which I have driven them
and bring them back to their meadow;
there they shall increase and multiply.
I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them
so that they need no longer fear and tremble;
and none shall be missing, says the LORD.

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
as king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
“The LORD our justice.”

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Brothers and sisters:
In Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, he who made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

It has long been a Catholic understanding that when circumstances prevent one from receiving Holy Communion, it is possible to make an Act of Spiritual Communion, which is a source of grace. Spiritual Communion is an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament and lovingly embrace him at a time or in circumstances when one cannot receive Him in sacramental Communion. The most common reason for making an Act of Spiritual Communion is when a person cannot attend Mass. Acts of Spiritual Communion increase our desire to receive sacramental Communion and help us avoid the sins that would make us unable to receive Holy Communion worthily.

Spiritual Communion Prayer

My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love you above all things and I desire to receive you in my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally,

Come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace you as if you were already there

And unite myself wholly to you.

Never permit me to be separated from you.

Amen.