Dear Parishioners,
One of the military leaders in the North during the Civil War was General Sickles. He told us that shortly before the Battle of Gettysburg, President Lincoln felt crushed by the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Instinctively he turned to God in prayer.
Commenting on that prayer, Lincoln himself said, “Never before have I prayed with such earnestness. I wish I could repeat my prayer. I felt that I must put all my trust in Almighty God.... He alone could save the nation from destruction.” When Lincoln rose from his knees, he said, “I felt my prayers were answered.... I had no misgiving about the result.”
In the Gospel today, Jesus saw the people had no one to guide them. He had compassion on them. He shepherded His people by teaching them many things.
Jesus Christ and Abraham Lincoln were crushed with responsibility. In each case, God gave them the courage and strength to shepherd their people.
There’s a practical message here for each one of us. It is simply this: When heavy burdens threaten to crush us, we should turn to God in prayer. If we do, God will strengthen us, just as He strengthened these shepherds.
Sincerely in Christ,
Father Dominick