Christ took pity on the people because they looked like sheeps without a shepherd. The world can be considered like a flock of animals. Then, Christ came with the message of the Gospel. This Gospel was meant to divide the flock into sheeps and goats. Then Christ sent his apostles to gather the sheep and shepherd them to eternal life. Note that the apostles were meant, first, to preach the Gospel so as to distinguish the sheep from the goats, and then to become laborers to harvest the sheep.
Sometimes, we feel that God has not sent enough laborers and we have to pray for such laborers. This puzzles me in that I cannot imagine a God so negligent as not to sent laborers when there is a need for it. But then, there might not be a need for it because there is nothing to harvest. The state of Europe, for instance, is so deplorable that there is nothing to harvest there. So why will God send laborers?
Knowledge of the Catholic faith is what transforms a soul into a sheep. And a sheep knows its master’s voice and the master, in turn, knows his sheep.
It is amazing to see that when Pope John Paul II passed away, a few spent vigils in the Vatican in sorrow. They were like sheep without a shepherd. The rest of the world, though probably sad, really didn’t care. And then, when Cardinal Ratzinger was chosen, the same crowd rejoiced. They were glad they had a shepherd. As usual the rest of the world didn’t care. Did these sheep recognize their master’s voice and were saddened by its silence? Are these the same ones who rejoiced when they once again heard their master’s voice? The Church, the sheep looks tiny, indeed.