Amos and Abel cast their eyes over the assembled sheep. Abel's glance is hurried and superficial. All he sees is a sea of faces. He knows almost nothing of the individual biographies of the sheep. As he was bringing them in, he couldn't fail but notice some were limping and others were thin. But now he can't remember which ones, and is too lazy to find out. Yet these are only the external wounds of the sheep. As for their internal wounds, he doesn't even know they exist.

Amos, on the other hand, is not content to cast a mere glance at the sheep. He looks at them long and searchingly. Nothing escapes his experienced and caring eye. He doesn't see a flock but a collection of individual sheep. Behind each face is a story which is thoroughly familiar to him. His eyes now search for the wounded ones. He spots a lame one. Tomorrow morning he will examine her foot to see what the problem is. He sees a thin one. Tomorrow he will give him a dose to counter the worms. But he doesn't limit himself to the external wounds. He lovingly searches their faces to discover those that are hurting inside. He sees the anxious face of one whose lamb is overdue. He scrutinises the sad face of one whose lamb was still-born. He dwells on the lonely face of one whose companion died recently. He feels their pain, and resolves to be extra gentle with them.

How do you account for the difference between the two shepherds? Let's take Abel first. For him, caring for the sheep is just a job. He is a hireling. His heart isn't in his work. His real life is somewhere else, and his work is interfering with it. He applies himself to shepherding with a mixture of apathy. Because his self-esteem is not involved in it, he takes no pride in it. He is not a happy person. Now, let's take Amos. For him, caring for the sheep is no mere job. It is more like a vocation. His heart is in it. They are his sheep. Even though you may hear him complain about the hardships of his calling from time to time, he is a happy man. He has found a work which gives meaning and inspiration to his life. In doing it well he becomes a better man.

(Flor McCarthy - on being a priest,
teacher, shepherd etc etc)