There is something about the image of sheep without a shepherd that really tugs at the heart of God: A vast crowd longing for meaning in their lives with no one to teach them; Children orphaned by war or disease; the elderly abandoned by their families; the destitute written off by the government; the vulnerable exploited by the greedy; the young mis-educated by their teachers; the imprisoned forsaken by the community; or the homebound neglected by fellow parishioners.

Realities such as these move God to mince no words when addressing those who have shepherded poorly: "Woe to you shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture…you have scattered my sheep… you have not cared for them. I will take care to punish your evil deeds" (Jeremiah 23:1-2)!

God then adds: "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock … and bring them back to their meadow…I will appoint (new) shepherds for them who will shepherd them" (23:3).

A critical part of Jesus' mission during his sojourn on earth was gathering a small band of disciples and personally molding them into his future leaders who, in turn, would mold others to lead and make even more disciples.