The people of Israel were chosen by God, to be his own people. This Moses proclaims in the first reading. And having chosen a people, God does not abandon them: they may be like sheep without a shepherd, but God sends them the Good Shepherd, who feels sorry for them, and entrusts his disciples with the task of giving them new heart. The same God has chosen us, and gives us the same Shepherd. But we must be careful to take to ourselves the call of Jesus: we must pray for labourers to give new heart to the lost sheep of our society. We must also remember our own responsibility - as a kingdom of priests and a consecrated nation those of us in the Church have a mission to fulfil: to live out the Covenant, and truly to be a consecrated nation.