When Jesus found wandering in the hills
the one sheep that had strayed he brought it back to the fold,
but he did not exhaust it by driving it ahead.
Instead, he placed it on his own shoulders
and, compassionately, he restored it safely to the flock.

 
St. Maximus the Confessor, 7th century

Let all peoples come to know that you alone are God,
that Jesus Christ is your son,
and that we are your people, the sheep of your flock.

 
St. Clement of Rome, 1st century

The good shepherd came in search of the straying sheep.
When he found it, he took it on the shoulders
that carried the wood of the cross,
and led it back to the life of heaven.

 
St. Gregory Nazianzen 4th century

The church, our Mother, is herself a shepherd.
She seeks the straying, strengthens the week,
heals the sick, binds up the injured.

 
St. Augustine, 5th century

Lord, purify my mind and heart.
Lead me to pastures, Lord, and graze with me there.
Let your good spirit guide me.
Whatever I do, let it be in accordance with your will,
now, until the end.

 
St John Damascene, 7th century

That image of carrying the lambs in His bosom,
and leading the ewes with care, that is tenderness.
The Lord comforts us with tenderness.

 
Pope Francis, 21st Century

Continue along the straight and narrow path of duty.
The Lord is your shepherd, you shall want for nothing.

 
'The Sacrament of the Present Moment', Jean-Pierre de Caussade SJ

The shepherd who finds the lost sheep
is the Lord himself, who, with the Cross,
takes sinful man upon Himself in order to redeem him.

 
His Holiness, Benedict XVI