“Harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Is this a scenario you feel you can relate to?

In the hustle and bustle of everyday living, it is almost inevitable that we all feel this way sometimes. There is a term for that: “the weight of living.” It’s a feeling we know well—and one that even our Lord sympathizes with.

Christ saw the people of his time afflicted by the perils of human life, disease, fatigue, restlessness and confusion. He pitied them, and sought to bring healing to the sick, rest to the tired, and peace to the conflicted. And he continues to do so now, in the small miracles he works in our lives, in his quiet whispering to our hearts during prayer, and in the blessings he brings us through the people we meet.

But are we open to him? Do we have trust in him as sheep trust their shepherd? Or are we like the Pharisees, who doubt, question and criticize? Healing and miracles cannot happen without faith. Perhaps it is time we allowed the Lord to do his work in our lives – and help work the miracles, by joining his mission to alleviate the weight of living. After all, the harvest always needs more workers.

Let us continue to pray for the grace to always seek out the Shepherd. In him, we will find our true peace and real meaning in life. Hopefully, as we go about our daily concerns, we can remain focused on how to better bring about his kingdom here on earth.  He is there to help us. May we allow him to do just that, and in some way do likewise to him and to others.