Something Good to Cap a Busy Day

16th Sunday In Ordinary Time
19 July 2009



We are God’s people, the sheep of his flock: come, let us worship him, alleluia.

First reading Jeremiah 23:1-6
‘Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered – it is the Lord who speaks! This, therefore, is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds in charge of my people: You have let my flock be scattered and go wandering and have not taken care of them.

Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds – it is the Lord who speaks! But the remnant of my flock I myself will gather from all the countries where I have dispersed them, and will bring them back to their pastures: they shall be fruitful and increase in numbers. I will raise up shepherds to look after them and pasture them; no fear, no terror for them any more; not one shall be lost – it is the Lord who speaks!

‘See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will raise a virtuous Branch for David,
who will reign as true king and be wise,
practising honesty and integrity in the land.
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel dwell in confidence.
And this is the name he will be called:
The-Lord-our-integrity.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 22:1-6

Second reading Ephesians 2:13-18
In Christ Jesus, you that used to be so far apart from us have been brought very close, by the blood of Christ. For he is the peace between us, and has made the two into one and broken down the barrier which used to keep them apart, actually destroying in his own person the hostility caused by the rules and decrees of the Law. This was to create one single New Man in himself out of the two of them and by restoring peace through the cross, to unite them both in a single Body and reconcile them with God: in his own person he killed the hostility. Later he came to bring the good news of peace, peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near at hand. Through him, both of us have in the one Spirit our way to come to the Father.

Gospel Mark 6:30-34
The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.


Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut

It was 9pm. I was still in the office due to long meetings, demanding tasks, and other unfavorable surprises at work. There was even a heavy downpour outside and I had to commute home as I already missed our 7pm shuttle service (obviously). Calling this a long day is an understatement. I couldn’t wait to get home and rest my already weary and aching body.

Just as I was walking to get to the nearest jeep terminal, I received a call from a neighbor-friend. She was rushed to the hospital earlier that day and she asked if I could lend a hand by bringing her some personal things, her medical cards, medicine, etc. from her apartment. She had no relative in town and I was the closest she had for a family.

What a bad timing it was! Right?

Well, good thing is, instead of thinking negatively about the situation, I told myself “Finally, something good to cap the day!” I thought of it as an opportunity to help someone really in need. I did not have anything at that moment but my precious little time that I so much wanted to use for a good-night sleep. And to give that away to my neighbor (literally) is really the best thing to happen that day.

So I went to the hospital to get her keys, then broke into her apartment (with the land lady’s presence of course ) and went back to bring what she needed. By the way, this was Cavite. There were no cabs and no jeep due to the late night and heavy rain. I just hired a tricycle to get to my destinations.

Going back more than ten years ago, when I still work in Makati, I also had a similar situation. I was rushed to the hospital at midday and later had to undergo appendectomy. My family was in distant Pampanga and I was relatively new to the city and had no friends yet at work and in Metro Manila. So I called my land lady and my cousin, who worked nearby, for help. I didn’t know what kind of day they had at work, yet they were there to lend me a hand.

In today’s Gospel, our Lord did not mind using his time of rest to nourish the souls of the multitude who followed Him thereby setting an example for us that truly, when it comes to helping our neighbor, there is no such thing as a bad time!





Thank You, Lord, for giving us the opportunity to show kindness to our neighbors. May we always have the strength, time, and resources to respond to Your call for duty. Amen!

Next week on God-speak
The Miracle Of Sharing