Introduction:
May you continue to experience the loving care of the Good Shepherd and may the
Holy Spirit prompt you to share that loving care with those whom GOD our
Abba-Father has entrusted to your care.
Our loving
Abba-Father has sent Jesus to us so that he might shepherd us – lead, guide,
feed, care for, and love us. We have all experienced that loving presence in
our lives, more strongly at some times than others. We can truly proclaim that:
“The LORD is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.” But the challenge
that this imposes on us is that we need to reach out and shepherd others with
the same loving care we have received. We are called to share what we have
received and further the mission and ministry of our Good Shepherd by
compassionately shepherding those whom GOD has placed in our lives.
The
concept of shepherding is obvious in our First Reading, Responsorial Psalm, and
Gospel, and implicit in the Second Reading. Jeremiah speaks to the king and
leaders of the people of GOD calling them shepherds who have misled the people.
The prophet promises the coming of a King who will shepherd the people and be
called “The LORD our justice.” The Responsorial Psalm is the familiar Psalm 23
– “The LORD is my Shepherd.” In the Second Reading, St. Paul speaks about
coming together, and being one, of the people who were formerly divided – all
achieved by the blood of Christ poured out from the cross. In the Gospel, Jesus
welcomes back the “apostles” and leads them away on a retreat, only to prepare
Himself and them to return to the task of shepherding the flock of people who
need their attention.
First Reading
Jeremiah 23:1-6, I will gather together the remnant of my flock and raise up
shepherds for them
Commentary:
This reading is quite unlike so many passages in Jeremiah when he was obliged
to prophesy doom and disaster for Israel. As well as doom for the current
shepherds of the people it foretells a time when the Lord himself will shepherd
his people through his shepherds, a king in the line of David. The promise
shimmers between God as himself the shepherd and his representative being the
shepherd. The exile in Babylon must still intervene, but it will give way to
the reign of ‘The-Lord-is-our-Saving-Justice’. This name is roughly equivalent
to the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus, for the kingship of God is a
kingship of God’s justice and salvation. God’s ‘justice’ is not like human
justice, which consists in observance of and obedience to the law, whether it
be the Jewish Law or civil law. God’s justice consists in fidelity to his
promises, the promises made originally to Abraham, and repeated to Moses and
David, the repeatedly renewed covenant, the promise of patronage and
protection, if only they will put their trust in the Lord. This is what makes
it a saving justice, the hope of Israel, fulfilled in Jesus.
Responsorial
Psalm 23, The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
The
Responsorial Psalm proclaims that the LORD is the Shepherd Who brings security,
peace, nourishment, and care to the divine flock. The psalm shows that the
Divine Shepherd focuses on the present needs of the flock, not just at the time
of death. Those who follow the lead of the Good Shepherd will feast abundantly
at the table of the LORD.
Second Reading
Ephesians 2:13-18, Christ Jesus is the peace between us
Commentary:
The Letter to the Ephesians celebrates the unity of the Church, returning again
and again to this subject. In this passage, the ‘you that used to be so far
off’ denotes the Gentiles, and the ‘us’ the Jews. The two groups of Christians,
sprung from Jews and Gentiles, which formerly were so much at loggerheads, are
united by the blood of Christ and the single Spirit to form the single New Man
which is Christ’s Body, the Church. This particular division between believers
is no longer the prime worry in our problem of disunity, for the scandal of
disunity within Christendom becomes more acute as the proportion of Christians
in the world population shrinks. However, the uniting of these two groups
brings to mind that Christ won salvation for all the world. In some mysterious
way, all who are saved are saved by Christ, even if they are not explicitly
aware of this. One great theologian called such people ‘anonymous Christians’.
One wonders whether believers who seek the truth in Buddhism and Islam would be
happy to be so described! Is it enough that they should profess Christ’s values
and be aware of our human inadequacy to save ourselves?
Gospel Mark
6:30-34, They were like sheep without a shepherd
Commentary:
At both the beginning and end of this section of the Gospel we are reminded
that the foremost duty of the disciples is to be with Jesus: ‘they were to be
with him’ (Mark 3.14), whatever else they do. In the beginning, the disciples
who had been sent out on their mission return to Jesus, and at the end, the
much larger crowd ‘from every town’, who had searched for him so determinedly
and successfully, are welcomed and pitied by Jesus. Furthermore, he begins to
teach them. The final quotation, ‘like sheep without a shepherd’ is a clear
allusion to the Israelites after the death of Moses, who would be like sheep
without a shepherd until Joshua is appointed as leader (Numbers 27.17), and
more widely to the LORD sending a shepherd to replace the careless and self-indulgent
shepherds of Ezekiel 34. As any car driver on the moors knows so well, sheep
without a shepherd are the epitome of helpless bewilderment. This will become
even clearer with the feeding of the five thousand in the green pastures beside
the restful waters of the Lake of Galilee (compare Psalm 22(23)).
The
passage therefore serves as part of the discovery of who Jesus is: his
wonderful actions and his teaching have led the crowds to search eagerly for
him. He pities them and shows them the divine mercy – the Greek word is
related to ‘guts’, so it is a profound ‘gut feeling’ – and yet he
repeatedly withdraws to be alone with his disciples to be sure that they
understand his teaching. To be alone with Jesus is an essential part
of their calling.
Reflection:
What does the image of a shepherd tell us about God's care for us? Shepherding
was one of the oldest of callings in Israel, even before farming, since the
Chosen People had traveled from place to place, living in tents, and driving
their flocks from one pasture to another. Looking after sheep was no easy calling.
It required great skill and courage. Herds were often quite large, with thousands
or even ten thousands of sheep. The flocks spent a good part of the year in the
open country. Watching over them required a great deal of attention and care.
Stray
sheep must be brought back lest they die: Sheep who strayed from the flock had
to be sought out and brought back by the shepherd. Since hyenas, jackals,
wolves, and even bears were common and fed on sheep, the shepherds often had to
do battle with these wild and dangerous beasts. A shepherd literally had to put
his life on the line in defending his sheep. Shepherds took turns watching the
sheep at night to ward off any attackers. The sheep and their shepherds
continually lived together. Their life was so intimately bound together that
individual sheep, even when mixed with other flocks, could recognize the voice
of their own shepherd and would come immediately when called by name.
God
himself leads us like a good shepherd: The Old Testament often spoke of God as the
shepherd of his people, Israel. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want
(Psalm 23:1). Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!
(Psalm 80:1) We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100:3). The
Messiah is also pictured as the shepherd of God's people: He will feed his
flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11).
Jesus told
his disciples that he was the Good Shepherd who was willing to lay down his
life for his sheep (Mt 18:12, Luke 15:4, Jn 10). When he saw the multitude of
people in need of protection and care, he was moved to respond with
compassionate concern. His love was a personal love for every person who came
to him in need.
Jesus is
the Shepherd and Guardian of our souls: Peter the apostle called Jesus the
Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Peter 2:25). Do you know the peace and
security of a life freely submitted to Jesus, the Good Shepherd? In the person
of the Lord Jesus, we see the unceasing vigilance and patience of God's love.
In our battle against sin and evil, Jesus is ever ready to give us help,
strength, and refuge. Do you trust in his grace and help at all times?
Lord
Jesus, you guard and protect us from all evil. Help me to stand firm in your
word and to trust in your help in all circumstances. May I always find rest and
refuge in the shelter of your presence.
Daily
Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The good shepherd feeds us with the words
of God, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"The
pastures that this good shepherd has prepared for you, in which he has settled
you for you to take your fill, are not various kinds of grasses and green
things, among which some are sweet to the taste, some extremely bitter, which
as the seasons succeed one another are sometimes there and sometimes not. Your
pastures are the words of God and his commandments, and they have all been sown
as sweet grasses. These pastures had been tasted by that man who said to God,
'How sweet are your words to my palate, more so than honey and the honeycomb in
my mouth!' (Psalm 119:103)."(excerpt from Sermon 366.3)
CHANGING
SHEPHERDS: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” —Psalm 23:1
In the Old
Testament, the term “shepherds,” when used to refer to leaders, did not refer
to religious leaders but secular, political leaders (see Ez 34:1ff). Thus,
according to the Old Testament, our shepherds are the president, governors,
senators, mayors, etc. The Lord promised to punish the shepherds of Israel for
not caring for the sheep (Jer 23:2) and to replace them with a good shepherd, a
king who “shall reign and govern wisely” (Jer 23:5). Jesus is that Good
Shepherd-King (see Jn 10:14).
When Jesus
called Himself the Good Shepherd, He implied to the Jewish people that He was a
political leader, possibly a king. Jesus’ kingdom was not of this world (Jn
18:36), but very few people knew that. Therefore, when Jesus called Himself
“the Good Shepherd,” He was easily misunderstood as saying something political
and revolutionary. This was part of the reason Jesus was crucified by the Roman
government (see Jn 19:12-16).
Even
today, if you decide to follow Jesus, the Good Shepherd-King, you will be misunderstood.
You will be misjudged to be a political threat to the government, especially as
you proclaim international, socioeconomic freedom in Christ. Nevertheless,
follow the Good Shepherd even to the cross of misunderstanding, rejection, and
death.
Prayer: Jesus,
Good Shepherd, raise up godly political leaders. “He pitied them, for they were
like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them at great length.” —Mk
6:34. Praise the risen Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who brings goodness and
kindness all the days of our lives (Ps 23:6).
The
personal question for today: How have I experienced the pastoral care of the
Good Shepherd in my life? Which individual(s) has/have been instrumental in
allowing me to feel the compassion and love of GOD? Have I shown my
appreciation to them for their pastoral concern? To whom have I been called to
show pastoral care? Have I taken seriously my calling to shepherd those who
have been entrusted to my care? Do I seek to take time to go away and be with
the Master Teacher so that I might become a more renewed shepherd to those whom
I am called to serve?