16th
Sunday in Ordinary Time
22 July 2012
Jer 23:1-6
Ps 23
Eph 2:13-18
Mk 6:30-34
We are not too familiar with shepherds here in Northeastern
Pennsylvania. We may see the occasional
sheep on a farm but I don’t remember anyone at Plymouth High School back in the
60's whose vocational goal was to become a shepherd. In the Ancient Near East shepherds performed
vital services. Thus we have the frequent image of the shepherd in scripture.
Shepherds cared for the flocks that supplied food and wool
in multiple ways. They guarded the sheep against the threat of wild animals. They protected the sheep from the hands of
rustlers. They moved them from pasture to pasture in search of food. And they kept them from becoming lost in the
wilderness. It is no wonder that the
shepherd became a metaphor for those who exercised care and authority over
others. The shepherd is a mix of
contrasting if not contradictory roles and functions.
The shepherd is a leader but also a companion. The shepherd is strong and capable of
defending the flock, but he is also gentle with the flock, knowing its
condition and adapting himself to its needs.
The shepherd prods the sheep to keep them on the right path but also
searches for and returns the lost sheep to the flock. The responsibilities of
the shepherd are grave.
In the reading from Jeremiah we heard how many of Israel’s
kings were unfaithful to their roles as shepherd of the people. They revolted
against God for the sake of expediency. Today we might say they revolted for
political reasons so as to push an agenda or to line their own pockets. Their primary concern was not the flock but
themselves. Sadly we are only too familiar
with leaders like that at all levels of governance. They left the people to scatter and disperse.
They were lost without direction or example.
Things haven’t changed much.
Think of the high profile financial “shepherds” who took
good care of themselves with no concern for those they were to serve. Recall the tragic stories of parents, a
unique form of shepherd, leaving young children alone while they went out to
drink, do drugs, or “to take care of my needs.” Both the famous and the lowly
who violate the duties of shepherd are worthy of contempt.
We are all called to be shepherds in ways unique to each of
us. The vocation to care for others is a
serious one. It involves work, worry,
and constant vigilance. The care may be
of the other’s financial resources, their health, their education, or the day-to-day
needs of a family. Woe to the
irresponsible shepherd.
Psalm 23 is the most well known and beloved in the entire
psalter. No other psalm has such a
central place in the hearts of people of both strong faith as well those of uncertain,
or even no, faith. Even those who never voluntarily
enter a church or synagogue have found this psalm speaking to them on occasions
as varied as a wedding or a funeral, or even during a movie. Its appeal lies in its simplicity as much as
in its depth.
The psalm’s images are comforting: a shepherd who meets the sheep’s needs for
rest, cool water, green pastures and protection. These images appeal to our own deepest
yearnings for peace and safety, for rest and care, yearnings that are
increasingly difficult to satisfy in this modern world, a world in which many
leaders seem more intent on caring for themselves than the needs of the people
they are sworn to serve.
The reading from Mark occurs at a transitional moment in the
Gospel. The apostles had returned from
their mission. They had taken nothing
for the journey: no food, no sack, no money.
They stayed in only one house. As
the Gospel noted, “They drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many
who were sick and cured them.” The
apostles returned excited and enthusiastic.
One can imagine the conversation. They were probably interrupting as they tried
to top each other’s stories, commenting on how tired they are and so on. The image suggests medical students returning
from their first day working in the hospital.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, recognized their excitement. But he also recognized their need for rest, a
need that would be frustrated. Jesus suggested that they go away to rest. But the crowd had other ideas. Despite their taking a boat, the crowd
scampered on foot to get to the place where they knew Jesus was going before He
got there. That is when we see the Good
Shepherd. We see what we are called to
be. We see how we are called to respond
to the needs of others be they family, friends, or strangers.
“When he disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was
moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he
began to teach them . . . . .” Hunger and fatigue took a backseat to the needs
of the sheep. Food and rest would come
later.
Like the lives of Jesus and his apostles as told in the
Gospel our existence is alternately trouble and calm, work and rest, joy and
sorrow. A full life, like the
description of the shepherd, seems to demand the coexistence of contraries: chaos
and calm, search and embrace, desire and satisfaction. When we succeed, even briefly, it is only to
begin the cycle again. Advance and
regression are joined together. They are purified and brought into harmony only
in God. True rest is not passivity but
the fulfillment of one's mission.
St. Ignatius’ Prayer for Generosity is one of the prayers a
Jesuit novice learns early in his novitiate.
It summarizes these readings. It
lays out in simple terms how we are to go about being shepherds for others. It tells all of us how we are called to live
our lives.
O Lord, teach me to be generous
To serve you as you deserve
To give and not to count the cost
To fight and not to heed the wounds
To toil and not to seek for rest
To labor and not to ask for reward
Save that of knowing I do your holy will
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