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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