14/06/2026
ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME || Moved with Pity
The University community gathered in faith and thanksgiving on the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, with the faculty of the Basic Education School and the faculty and students of the School of Accountancy, Business, and Hospitality serving as Mass sponsors.
In his homily, Rev. Fr. John Mark D. Barroga, CICM, invited us to enter more deeply into the heart of Jesus. Reflecting on the Gospel, he drew our attention to a beautiful yet powerful image: Jesus looking upon the crowds and being “moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.”
Fr. John Mark reminded us that Jesus chose the image of sheep for a reason. Sheep are vulnerable. They can easily become lost, confused, and helpless without someone to guide and protect them. Looking at our world today, it is not difficult to see ourselves in that image. Many people carry silent burdens, struggle with uncertainty, or search for meaning and direction. Yet amid all these realities, Jesus does not look at us with condemnation. He looks at us with compassion. His heart is moved because He sees our wounds, our fears, our struggles, and our deepest needs.
But Fr. John Mark challenged us not to stop there.
The compassion of Jesus is not something we simply receive, it is something we are called to share. The Lord entrusted His disciples with His own authority, and that authority, Fr. John Mark emphasized, comes from God. It is not power for personal gain or recognition, but a gift given so that we may continue Christ’s work in the world.
Jesus sends His disciples to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. Fr. John Mark beautifully reminded us that we do not need to be doctors to heal. Every act of kindness, every word of encouragement, every gesture of understanding and forgiveness has the power to heal hearts and restore hope. In a world wounded by division, loneliness, and indifference, every Christian is called to become a healer.
To raise the dead, he explained, is to help bring life to those whose spirits have been crushed by failure, disappointment, or despair. To cleanse lepers is to reach out to those whom society often ignores, excludes, or forgets.
Perhaps most striking was his reflection on driving out demons. Fr. John Mark reminded us that while we may not often encounter dramatic cases of possession, the presence of evil is still very real. Today, demons can be found in greed that values wealth over people, pride that refuses humility, selfishness that closes the heart to others, hatred that divides communities, dishonesty that erodes trust, and indifference that allows suffering to continue unnoticed. These are the forces that quietly rob people of peace, joy, and dignity.
Fr. John Mark left us with a gentle but profound reminder: each of us shares in the mission of Christ. Through our faith and baptism, we have been entrusted with the responsibility of caring for one another. We are called to be shepherds in our own way, guiding those who are lost, comforting those who are hurting, lifting up those who are discouraged, and bringing Christ’s love wherever we are.
In a world that often feels troubled and abandoned, may we become living signs of the Good Shepherd’s presence. And like Jesus, may our hearts always be moved with compassion, leading us not only to see the needs of others, but to respond with love.
