16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
July 19, 2015
We are the people of the Lord, the flock that is led by his hand: come, let us adore 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.’
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 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 Benj Santiago
“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 many things.”
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 23. It reminds me of the Lord as the Good Shepherd. But being a shepherd in the time of Jesus was actually the lowest level of work one can have. It is a low paying, smelly, and difficult job. You need to tend the sheep and protect the herd from wolves and other predators in the field. You have to be a really good shepherd to do the job!
In the Gospel today, Jesus secretly told the disciples to take a rest in a secluded place. They just came from a very successful out of town mission healing the sick and driving out demons. They were told to hop on their boat and go to a deserted place to rest their weary bodies and perhaps to have something to eat for there were so many people coming and going to them. But to their surprise, the people knew where they were going and went ahead of them by foot. Thus, when Jesus disembarked from His boat, His heart was moved with pity for He saw the crowd like a sheep without a shepherd. His heart was moved with pity because the priest and the temple authorities in those time who were supposed to guide the people, are not doing their job in pastoring and shepherding the flock. What happened next is really amazing: Jesus sat down and began to teach them many things.
The priests and yes, even the politicians who occupy power in the society can be considered as the modern day shepherds. The parishioners and the constituents are the flock. In the family, the parents are the shepherds. In business and companies, the shepherds are the leaders, the managers. But unlike the shepherds of the past, most of aforementioned modern day shepherds are paid and some, very handsomely. The challenge is to follow the examples of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
We praise God for there are many who follow the model of Christ as the Good Shepherd. One of them that I do admire as my shepherd is Bro Bo Sanchez. He never tires and never gives up on anyone. He continually serves and cares for his community and his flock. Considering that he doesn’t get paid and in fact , even has to subsidize his ministry from his own earnings. Week after week, he spend time to preach to thousands of people who flock the Feast (this is what he calls the weekly gathering). Even after a long trip he wouldn't miss to meet up and pastor his flock that he truly loves!
One of my favorite psalms is Psalm 23. It reminds me of the Lord as the Good Shepherd. But being a shepherd in the time of Jesus was actually the lowest level of work one can have. It is a low paying, smelly, and difficult job. You need to tend the sheep and protect the herd from wolves and other predators in the field. You have to be a really good shepherd to do the job!
In the Gospel today, Jesus secretly told the disciples to take a rest in a secluded place. They just came from a very successful out of town mission healing the sick and driving out demons. They were told to hop on their boat and go to a deserted place to rest their weary bodies and perhaps to have something to eat for there were so many people coming and going to them. But to their surprise, the people knew where they were going and went ahead of them by foot. Thus, when Jesus disembarked from His boat, His heart was moved with pity for He saw the crowd like a sheep without a shepherd. His heart was moved with pity because the priest and the temple authorities in those time who were supposed to guide the people, are not doing their job in pastoring and shepherding the flock. What happened next is really amazing: Jesus sat down and began to teach them many things.
The priests and yes, even the politicians who occupy power in the society can be considered as the modern day shepherds. The parishioners and the constituents are the flock. In the family, the parents are the shepherds. In business and companies, the shepherds are the leaders, the managers. But unlike the shepherds of the past, most of aforementioned modern day shepherds are paid and some, very handsomely. The challenge is to follow the examples of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.
We praise God for there are many who follow the model of Christ as the Good Shepherd. One of them that I do admire as my shepherd is Bro Bo Sanchez. He never tires and never gives up on anyone. He continually serves and cares for his community and his flock. Considering that he doesn’t get paid and in fact , even has to subsidize his ministry from his own earnings. Week after week, he spend time to preach to thousands of people who flock the Feast (this is what he calls the weekly gathering). Even after a long trip he wouldn't miss to meet up and pastor his flock that he truly loves!
Prayer
Dear Jesus, we ask You to continuously light our path and guide us in our ways that we may be like You, The Good Shepherd. We pray for more leaders and parents who will protect and guide their flock like You did. We pray that You will empower us with Your love that we may love the people we lead. One with Mary we make this prayer. Amen!
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