Pope Francis asserts that the authority of the shepherd is service, and that if he deviates, the shepherd will lose his calling, and the shepherd will become a mere steward. The Pope said this while explaining the gospel of Jesus growing bread and fish, which was read in the midst of the Divine sacrifice on Friday.
The pope pointed out that Jesus was trying to be with the people, correcting his disciples who were sometimes trying not to draw people to him. The people of God who seek the shepherds and ask for the perfect things may be tired of the shepherds.
After giving the people food, Jesus said that the Pope’s reference to going to the mountain to pray to the Father is two dimensions of the “spying” of the shepherd. “The shepherd must be the spy of the people and the Father at the same time,” the pope urged.
When satisfied with the meal, the verse describes the temptation of the pope’s authority to refer to the attempt of some to make Jesus king. The pope said that the authority of the shepherd is service and that if he deviated from it, he would abolish his own calling, and there the shepherd would become a mere steward.
