Let our imagination work. Let us imagine, on the one hand, the people of Israel in Egypt in difficult conditions. Egypt is, for them, the symbol of suffering, of enormous difficulties, of humiliations of all kinds. The people have suffered unacceptable violence. Let us imagine, on the other side, the Lord who is not deaf to the cries of his children. Imagine him sad, and very touched by what he sees and hears. The cries of his children reach him, and there he is, taken with pity. He sends Moses to deliver his people. The First Reading reminds us of this episode in the life of the people of Israel. God asks Moses to remind the people of the wonders he has done in their lives by bringing his people out of Egypt. I am struck by the sense of pity the Lord has for his people. God is the one who has mercy. Jesus in the Gospel looks at the crowd and he takes pity on them because they look like a flock without a shepherd.

Like the people of Israel, we often find ourselves in situations of great precariousness and misery, without hope, without the strength to continue our pilgrimage! God looks at us and hears our cries of despair. But he does not abandon us. He sends his messengers to take us out of our miserable situations. But often, he finds no one to send to deliver us. This is why Jesus asks us to pray to the Master of the mission to send the messengers according to his heart. Let us therefore pray, my brothers and sisters, to obtain the grace to turn our gaze to the Lord! Above all, let us pray to the Lord of the harvest to send his true messengers to teach us the word of consolation and liberation from the Lord. Amen.

Fr. Ghislain TSHIKENDWA MATADI, SJ