God Is My Shepherd;
There Is Nothing I Shall Want
In the first reading and psalm, God shepherds us by nurturing, healing, tending and feeding. The familiarity of Psalm 23 can blunt its impact, but its beautiful imagery of God’s leadership on this Feast of Christ the King is not of control but of care. God grants rest and nourishment, safety and satisfaction. This Sunday, the readings also invite us to take on the role of the shepherd. We are to seek out the lost, bind up the wounded, heal the sick, give drink to the thirsty, feed the hungry, cloth the naked – the corporal works of mercy. What happens to our prayer if we take on the role of a good shepherd? How are we to care for others when someone who needs our care approaches us, addresses us as shepherd? Our God is continually calling us to a new way of being and relating.
You are my shepherd; I shall not want.
You make me to lie in green pastures.
You lead me to restful waters, to restore my soul.
You guide me in paths of righteousness for the sake of God’s name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil; for you are with me;
Your crook and your staff give me comfort.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in your holy house forever and ever.
[verses from People’s Companion to the Breviary © 1997 by the Carmelites of Indianapolis]