Sunday 18 July 2021

16TH SUNDAY OF YEAR B, JULY 18,2021


May we in today's Eucharistic celebration, emulate Jesus Christ in his compassion for the weak and as a bringer of peace and unity among people.

Happy Sunday!

 

             DOCTRINE AND FAITH

(Jeremiah 23, 1-6; Ephesians 2,13-18; Mark 6, 30-34: 16th Sunday of Year B, Juy 18, 2021)

Today the liturgy offers us a vision of Jesus and the apostles’ which is very significant for the pastoral life of all the ministers of the Lord. In the Gospel, Jesus shows himself full of compassion, because he saw that people were like sheep without a shepherd. The first reading is an oracle of the prophet Jeremiah, who criticizes the shepherds of the chosen people and announces that God himself will take care of his flock. The second reading speaks of the peace that Jesus brought us with his dedication until death.

The Gospel reports that the apostles, after their first mission, returned to Jesus and told him what they have done and taught, according to the instructions received from him. Not only that they taught, but they also worked, especially with their generous commitment to the sick. Jesus then made sure they rested; he says to them: Come aside, to a lonely place, and rest for a while. Rest is also an aspect of pastoral life. It is not possible to continue an intense activity for a long time without taking a break; it is necessary to respect the needs of the human organism, which requires an alternation of work and rest. But in this circumstance, Jesus’ intension could not be realized, because the crowd saw him leaving with the disciples and began to rush to where he and the disciples were headed, preceding them. Jesus has left on the boat to a lonely place, but when he gets there, the place is no longer lonely: there is a great crowd waiting for him. This situation often occurs for us too. We can’t bring fulfilment of our projects, because an urgent need intervenes, which we must face with full availability. Disembarking, Jesus saw a large crowd and was moved by piety for them. He has a heart full of compassion, because he realized that these people were like sheep without a shepherd. This compassion prompts him above all to teach. People need the truth to guide their lives. They cannot live without light, and the light for them is the truth. Whoever does not know the essential truth cannot find the right path in life, but gets lost, and ends up in blind alleys; life then becomes a continuous despair for him. However, he who is led by a very profound religious teaching, can proceed with ease in life, overcome, not only without damage but profitably, the tests/problems of life and thus have a truly successful existence. It is significant that compassion pushes Jesus above all to teach and explain to people how one should behave in relationships with God, with one’s neighbour and with other things and how one can progress in love.

In the first reading God, through the mouth of the prophet Jeremiah, criticizes the shepherds of Israel because, instead of gathering the sheep, they scattered them: You scattered my sheep, you drove them away and you did not worry about them. The Lord promises to gather the rest of the sheep himself from all the religions where they have been dispersed. Then he promises to set up shepherds who will feed them. Therefore, he will use human tools- as Jesus uses the apostles – to associate them with his pastoral mission. The oracle of Jeremiah refers, in particular, to a successor of David, who will be a righteous shepherd, full of wisdom and generosity, and that he will be called Lord our justice. This oracle finds its fulfilment in Jesus, who is descendant of David and the good shepherd, who cares for his sheep, to the point of offering his life for them.

An aspect of Jesus’ pastoral work is presented to us in the second reading, in which Paul speaks of the gathering of all men into one people. Christ Jesus – he says – is our peace. Jesus is a shepherd who does not divide, but gathers everyone into one flock. Before him there was the division, a wall of separation, between the chosen people and the pagan nations, a wall that caused mutual enmity. But Jesus’ work in his paschal mystery was to tear down this wall, annulling the prescriptions of the law that separated the Jews from other nations. By now in Christ there is no longer any difference between the Jews and the Greek (cf. Rom. 10,12), but all are called to welcome the grace of God, that is, justification and the fullness of divine love. Men are called to welcome it together, united among themselves, because Jesus reconciled everyone. This reconciliation was done by means of the cross, which destroyed the enmity between Jews and pagans. Jesus announced peace to those who were far away (the pagans) and to those who were close (the Jews). So, all together we can feel united as one flock under one Shepherd (Jesus) and be guided by him towards the Father, in one Spirit. The purpose of the pastoral mission is to bring all men together in the love of Christ and to bring all to intimate communion with God. +John I. Okoye.

(graphics by Chukwubike)


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