I Have a Shepherd

July 8, 2025 // Tuesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 9:32-38

Reflect on the Word // 

I have long prayed for a cure for multiple sclerosis. I prayed the same when I had cancer. No instantaneous cure manifested for either disease. Still, somehow I’ve known, way deep down inside, that Jesus is not going to heal me of these diseases in the instant way He did for the crowds in Galilee. At least not right now.

Saint Matthew’s Gospel says, “Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching [. . .] proclaiming the gospel [. . .] and curing every disease and illness” (9:34-35, emphasis mine). When I know and believe that Jesus can cure me, what do I do with the reality that, despite my faith, despite my prayers, my illness lingers?

The very next line in the Gospel continues, “At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). And this I know equally way deep down inside: I have a Shepherd, a Good Shepherd. I am not troubled, I am not abandoned. My Shepherd sees every second of my suffering and He does not turn a blind eye but rushes to walk with me in it, to carry me when I can no longer carry myself, and to use illness to teach me something about how much He loves me.

As I grow older, I see even more gifts in chronic illness—not just for me but for others too. My sisters, for example, came to care for me during chemo, blessing them in untold ways. The slew of doctors and nurses, pharmacists and researchers in labs that I will never know, are sanctified through their work in trying to help me. Best of all, being tired all the time forces me to drop my enormous ego. I am too tired to lug that ugly beast around anymore.

Sister, when healing doesn’t happen in a physical sense, we can open our hearts to see the activity of the Good Shepherd. We can find that He is healing us and others in ways we never suspected.

Relate to the Lord // What is Jesus up to in your suffering? How is He blessing even in this?  

About Liz Kelly Stanchina

View other posts from the author

Liz Kelly Stanchina is a jazz singer who met Jesus in late-night adoration. She is the community leader for women’s formation at the Word on Fire Institute and the author of more than a dozen award-winning books, including Anchored by Hope, Meditations to Calm the Anxious Soul, Jesus Approaches, Love Like a Saint, and A Thrill of Hope. Her take home retreat for Jesus Approaches has been called “a spa for the soul.” She holds advanced degrees in creative writing and Catholic studies. She is trained as a spiritual director, leading retreats and speaking around the world with a particular focus on helping women to flourish in their faith. Visit her website at LizK.org. Her widely read column, Your Heart, His Home, is available on Substack.