He saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them 

22 JULY (Mk 6,30-34)

Jesus is the man of the universal compassion. He has always a gesture of love for everybody. He never holds back in front of the spiritual and material needs of the crowd. His is true Holy Spirit wisdom and intelligence. He always serves everyone, without ever having anyone be missing in anything. The Father put all his divine compassion in his heart. What his Father did for Israel, Jesus does it for every person, nobody excluded.

When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son. The more I called them, the farther they went from me, Sacrificing to the Baals and burning incense to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love; I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks; Yet, though I stooped to feed my child, they did not know that I was their healer. He shall return to the land of Egypt, and Assyria shall be his king; The sword shall begin with his cities and end by consuming his solitudes. Because they refused to repent, their own counsels shall devour them. His people are in suspense about returning to him; and God, though in unison they cry out to him, shall not raise them up. How could I give you up, O Ephraim, or deliver you up, O Israel? How could I treat you as Admah, or make you like Zeboiim? My heart is overwhelmed, my pity is stirred. I will not give vent to my blazing anger, I will not destroy Ephraim again; For I am God and not man, the Holy One present among you; I will not let the flames consume you. They shall follow the Lord, who roars like a lion; When he roars, his sons shall come frightened from the west, Out of Egypt they shall come trembling, like sparrows, from the land of Assyria, like doves; And I will resettle them in their homes, says the Lord. (Hoseah 11,1-11).

The apostles return from the first mission. They are tired and need a little rest. Jesus knows what the limits of a body, even the strongest, are and he respects them. He always obeys the laws of nature. If there this obedience to the truth of man was not in him, he could not be our Master. He does everything with wisdom and love, intelligence and wisdom, perfect divine and human sciences. One just cannot rest among the crowd. This has its own exigencies. That is why it is right to go to a solitary place, apart, away from the people always in need of everything.

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.

Jesus begins with his disciples. However, he is not like the priest and the Levite who pass before the man that ran up against robbers and was left half dead by the roadside; and do not stop because they have to pay to God the service of the temple worship in Jerusalem. If the disciples want, they can also rest without him. He works and the disciples rest. There are things that the disciples must do and things that Lord Jesus must do. The disciples must rest. Jesus must go meet the crowd.

Before Jesus, there is an army left to itself; they are all like sheep without a shepherd. He cannot abandon these people. He is the shepherd of every one of them. A shepherd must always feel compassion for his sheep. He must also give up rest and sleep for them. A sheep cannot suffer and be abandoned to herself by the shepherd, not caring for it, letting it be consumed by sickness or be devoured by the wolf due to his negligence. Jesus is divinely diligent in his ministry. That is why he approaches the crowd and teaches them many things. He teaches the Gospel of God, reveals the truth of the Father, communicates the rules in order to live with love and truth, opens the doors of hope, and points the way to true life. Great, divine, and heavenly is the compassion of Jesus. We must all learn from it if we want to love truly.

Virgin Mary, Mother of the Redemption, Angels, Saints teach us true love. We want to live all the compassion of Jesus in order to be his witnesses.