14 June 2026

14 June 2026 - 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Reading:  

Matthew 9:36

Write:  

… they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

Reflect:   

This weekend’s readings post some interesting… contrasts. Eagles. Sheep. Sinners. Salvation.

Eagles kill sheep. I’m not going to focus on eagles a lot today. But… I am already planning my sermon for July fourth and fifth. The number of references to eagles in the Bible is quite fascinating and I think, since that is our national bird, that it might be fun to do a homily on eagles. That’s an advertisement for what is coming. I know I also promised a series on the Our Father – it will probably be in August.

So, eagles kill sheep. The gospel today talks about people being sheep. I remember the story of a young man who did not like being called a sheep because he said sheep are dumb, stupid animals. They, apparently, need a great deal of care. He did not like being called a sheep because he knew how… vulnerable they are. And that is what Jesus was talking about. Sheep are defenseless. Eagles kill sheep. Cougars, bears, wolves kill sheep. You can name a number of predators that are dangerous to the sheep. Of course, the number one wolf, as far as we are concerned, is known by another name: Satan. And, yes, we are unfortunately dumb sheep – if we were not we would not keep falling into sin! And that leads us into the reading from Romans. By the grace of God, we are not dumb, stupid sheep. We are not predators, but we are not spiritual prey either.

We were helpless, St. Paul says. But there is a great hope in this selection from Romans. We were helpless, but Jesus dealt with the problem of our sinfulness – of our ignorance and weakness – of us being stupid sheep. And he did that before we could respond to him!

Saint Paul points out the magnitude of what Jesus did in choosing to die before we committed to him. Obviously, that is true because Jesus lived centuries before… us! But his death traverses all time – past, present, and future. That is part of why he spent those three days in the tomb. He was visiting all those who had gone before him – including Adam and Eve. The helplessness of sin has been overthrown. As St. Paul said, “But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” 

And the next line from St. Paul is the line that holds all of these readings together: “How much more then, since we are now justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath.”

Apply:   

God’s care for his people is identified clearly in the first reading. 

And it has a caveat: “if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant…” God is connecting Israel to a covenant. The covenant love of God for his people runs through all three of the readings. Our Exodus reading ends with: “you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” In contrast with this, Jesus saw the people as “sheep without a shepherd” and St. Paul says that “God proves his love for us” because Jesus died “while we were still sinners.” He has made us no longer prey, but a “kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”

But let’s stay with the last part of Saint Paul’s reading. We have already been reconciled to God through the death of Jesus. He has done the work already! We are no longer enemies of God. We are no longer a people who had gone astray – like dumb sheep.

This is a very important part of St. Paul’s theology. Reconciliation with God was accomplished before we said “yes” to God. Go back to my opening words today: “This weekend’s readings post some interesting… contrasts. Eagles. Sheep. Sinners. Salvation.” It should be a very sobering thing for us. God has taken the initiative. Because he has done so, we can dare to boast that we are his children, the sheep of his flock. But not dumb sheep.

The change that Jesus accomplished for us lifts us from the stupidity of sin. Yes, we have to cooperate with the change and become holy as God is holy. We have to enter into the covenant that Moses was talking about, and that Jesus completed by his death and resurrection. We do not need to wallow around like pigs in mud. We can walk in the fresh pastureland that God intends for his people. We are not intended to be stupid sheep, but are intended to grow – to soar – in holiness – in wisdom and grace. This is what St. Paul said we should boast in. We have received reconciliation – salvation – because of what Jesus has accomplished. We are no longer sheep or even sinners at risk of being destroyed by wolves or eagles or any other predator. 

Because of what Jesus did and what he gave us we have the ability to stand against every temptation and sin. I know… it is a tragedy that we cannot stay free from all sin. But the promise of Jesus is that we have the strength to do exactly that. He commissioned his disciples in the gospel today to do the great things that he was doing. He has entrusted us with the ability to overcome every weakness. Thank God for his mercy and the fact that, even though we fail, he still keeps us reconciled to himself.

Eagles. Sheep. Sinners. Salvation. Because of what Jesus has done, we are more like eagles – not predators, but creatures that soar above the storms. Did you know that eagles have been cited at ten thousand feet, soaring above a storm? I will talk more about that on the first weekend of July.

But we can surpass the storms of temptation and rise above them by the grace and mercy of God. Eagles. Sheep. Sinners. Salvation. He has transformed sheep and sinners by his salvation into eagles.

Pray/Praise:   

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, you have defeated the predators of our souls. Help us to see ourselves as you see us: not a weak sinners, but strong members of your royal family. Help us to understand how much more we are now that we have been justified by the blood that you shed for us. Help us to boast not in ourselves but in you who have given us even greater honor through your salvation than Adam and Eve had in their original innocence. Strengthen us that we may soar on eagles’ wings, keeping our eyes fixed on your heaven which is our destiny and not on the muck of the earth. We are not sheep. We are not pigs. We are children of the king and we give you thanks for so great a salvation.

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