SUNDAY- 16TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME –B
Christ The Good Shepherd
I Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6: The remnant of my flock I will gather and I will raise up
shepherds to look after them.
II Reading: Ephesians 2:13-18: Christ Jesus is the Peace between
us, and made the two into one.
Gospel: Mark 6:30-34: They were like sheep without a shepherd.
Today
we celebrate the Shepherd who leads all people to the Father, however far apart
they may be in race or culture.
The first reading talks about the social and moral fibre of the country was rotten. The leaders who are called
shepherds (both civil and religious) will be removed; God will regather his
people under a real king in place of weak rulers of Jeremiah’s day about 600
B.C. Jeremiah announces an extraordinary shepherd to come. The prophecy of
Jeremiah was fulfilled in Jesus.
The
Psalm 22 is the image of the good shepherd, the writer, traditionally said to
be David, projects all the qualities of the keeper of sheep on the hillside.
The Psalm ends with a feeling of
security prompted by the divine shepherd. All we like sheep we have gone astray and
we find in this psalm the Great Shepherd who gently leads the lost back to the
fold.
With
unity as the theme of the second reading, Paul deals with the reconciliation of
Jew and Pagan in Christ to form a “single new man.” “The barrier” refers to the
fence which marked the limit to which pagans might go in the Temple.
In
the gospel reading we listened to, none of the Evangelists records any comment by
Jesus on what the disciples had done during their mission. Jesus was more
concerned that their spiritual resources had been depleted and that a retreat was necessary. But it was not to
be. The crowd gathered and he saw them as sheep without a shepherd, their needs
came first and with great compassion, he ministered to them with extensive
teaching. By giving the Holy Spirit to everyone, Jesus wiped away all
distinctions among people. First, Jesus brought peace with his Father, and
secondly, Jesus brought peace among all people. The fact of belonging to Jesus’
flock imposes a serious obligation on shepherds and sheep alike: to maintain
peace and unity with the Christian community. What kind of Christians are we
today?
Today
the church and the life of our Christian communities depend to a very large extent on the quality of our spiritual leaders and leaders of our country.
Today’s message is as follows:
1.
Spiritual leaders or shepherds should have more concerned about the needs of their flock at all times.
2.
They should be the messengers of love, joy, peace, reconciliation, compassion,
caring and unity for their faithful.
3.
The church of the Christian communities in turn should have one aim in view: to
maintain all costs union with the community.
The Need for Rest and Its Dangers, Mk 6:30-34
Every
person needs rest, relaxation, and time alone with God. However, when the
believer is seeking to rest, he must know there are some serious dangers that
confront him. This passage shows three of the dangers.
1. The disciples returned from their
mission (v.30): reported what they had done and taught.
2. Danger 1: not taking time to rest
(v.31-32)
a.
The
disciples worked long and hard
b.
The
disciples were pressed by the crowds
c.
The
disciples left to rest
3. Danger 2: taking too much time to
rest when people are seeking help (v.33)
4. Danger 3: losing sight of people who
are as sheep without a shepherd (v.34)
a.
Jesus
saw and had compassion
b.
Jesus
began to teach
Thought:
Believers are accountable both for how they live and for what they teach. They
are to be obedient to Christ’s teachings. Every disciple is held accountable to
God (2Cor 5:10; Heb 13:17)
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