Sunday the 21st of July 2024 - Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 23:1-6/ Psalm 22(23)/ Ephesians 2:13-18/ Mark 6:30-34

Jesus took pity on the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus is often depicted as a shepherd and is even referred to as the good shepherd. Jesus could look at the crowds of people searching for meaning in their lives today and express the same pity for them as he did with the crowds he saw as he stepped ashore all those years ago.

We might ask ourselves why after two thousand years of teaching and spreading the news of salvation there are still so many people drifting into danger as sheep do without a shepherd to guide them. In the first reading from the Old Testament the prophet Jeremiah berates the leaders of the people as if they were shepherds who had allowed the sheep, God’s people, to be scattered and go wandering without taking proper care of them. Could God say the same thing about those charged with looking after God’s people today? It is the responsibility of church leaders, parents, teachers, and all the baptised to act as shepherds to the people who make up the flocks that belong to God. In letting them wander and stray aimlessly or, even worse, deliberately leading them astray we can find ourselves responsibly in some way for the straying of God’s precious flock.

Not so many years ago Europe was a predominantly Christian society, England was even referred to as the dowry of Mary. In times of trial people would naturally turn to God in prayer. Today our continent is becoming increasingly secular, driving out Christianity as well as other faiths. The wolves have well and truly scattered the flock who seek solace and protection from anywhere other than faith in God. Money, power, celebrity, and influence are sought out to provide the comfort and security people crave. What has gone wrong? Why has the flock been so decimated? People today often look very much like sheep without a shepherd.

We must always return to Jesus and follow his example. In the gospel today we see the plan Jesus has to rest and recuperate with his disciples who have just returned from their first missionary journeys. This plan was thwarted by the pressing need of the crowds to be with him, to be taught by him. Jesus put his personal plans and the concerns of his immediate followers on hold so that he could administer to the needs of the people who desperately needed his leadership. Although we are often called upon to help others and are willing to do so it can be on our terms rather than guided by the urgency of the need. Jesus shows us how to put aside our own desires and minister to others when they need it and not when it suits us.

The shepherding we are called to through our baptism requires a Christlike attitude, to sacrifice our desires so that we can fulfil the needs of others. Ultimately Jesus gave his very life for others, and we should be willing to do the same if necessary. Fortunately, few of us will have to die serving the needs of others but many have, and many continue to do so. In some way we are all called to die to our own desires to be present to others, to follow the example of Christ, to be the shepherd that the scattered sheep need.

Being a Christian calls us to be Christlike, to be open and responsive to the needs of others. This might require us to be inconvenienced and put upon at the service of God’s flock, to practice the self-sacrifice that Jesus calls us to through his example. If we practice what we are called to, we, our families, our countries, and our world would live in the peace and harmony described in the second reading. Jesus, through his life, death, and resurrection has brought us very close, as it says, he is the peace between us. This unity won by Jesus, exists and can be realised but is prevented from achieving its full purpose by the barriers erected by humanity. There is no room for hostility within the Christian family and yet we see plenty of disunity. Down the ages various splits have occurred as people have strayed from the shepherd that Jesus appointed to guide his church on earth in favour of ways that better suit them. Even within the Church there can be conflict and division. The prayer of Jesus is that through his cross we will all be united into a single body reconciled with God and living in peace. It is our calling to play our part in bringing this unity and peace to the world in which we live.

God knows that the shepherds of his flock will sometimes fail. This is the reason that Jesus became man and lived amongst us. To be the one true totally reliable shepherd, the one that we must always return to and go with to a quiet place to rest a while. The psalm today puts it very well even though it was composed many years before Jesus was born. It tells us that the Lord is our shepherd providing all that we need. As he invited the apostles to come away to a lonely place for rest the psalm says he will lead us into fresh and green pastures near restful waters so our spirits can be revived. He guides us like a shepherd guides his flock keeping us safe even when we pass through the dangers, the evils, of life. Finally, there is the promise of the heavenly banquet to come if we just follow the shepherd. There in the house of God we will live forever.

Do not be despondent when faced with the trials of life. Look to Jesus, our shepherd, return to him often in a quiet place, hear what he tells us in prayer, hear what he says to us through his appointed shepherds on earth, follow him and his voice through all the dangers we encounter knowing that there will be rest in fresh and green pastures to come.

God Bless Brendan