Sixteenth Sunday of ORDINARY TIME. 23rd July 2000

First: Jer 23:1-6; Second: Eph 2:13-18; Gospel: Mk 6:30-34

THEME of the READINGS

Gathering. This is the key concept of today’s liturgy. "But the remnant of my flock I myself shall gather," says Yahweh (first reading). Jesus sees the crowd with compassion and exclaims, "they are like sheep without a shepherd" (Gospel), but he, the Good Shepherd, will gather them in only one flock (Jn 10:16). Jesus, the Good Shepherd, also gathers into one single flock those who were far (pagans) and those that were near (Jews) by means of his blood shed on the cross (second reading).

DOCTrinal MESSAGE

Like Sheep without a Shepherd. From its beginnings, humankind has been in a similar situation, although circumstances may have changed: sometimes shepherds abandon their sheep, sometimes sheep abandon their shepherds. In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah makes mention of the shepherd-kings of Judah (a very frequent metaphor in the culture of that time), who instead of shepherding their sheep, lose, scatter and drive them away. They were shepherd-kings who had an all-too-human outlook, whereby they saw their flock exiled to Babylon. Instead, they should have listened to God, who speaks to them through Jeremiah, for the good of the sheep. Six centuries later, Jesus sees the crowds of Galileans that flock to him to hear his word of truth and salvation as sheep without a shepherd. Yes, sheep without a shepherd, because the shepherds of the people (their priests and scribes) did not seem to show any interest in them. They were looked down upon as sheep, because they know nothing about the Law (Jn 7:49). From the very beginning of time, man has needed a guide to show him the way and lead him towards the path of his genuine humanity towards the horizon of happiness and God. Where and who are these guides today? In an identity crisis like the one our society is experiencing, people no longer look to the gurus of science, of technology, to religion à la carte, but to the shepherds of the Church. As shepherds of the Church, are we up to the task entrusted to us in this dramatic but wonderful time of history?

Frustrated Shepherds. The texts of the liturgy have something to teach us. They speak to us about frustrated shepherds, who have failed in the task and responsibility entrusted to them. Many of the kings of Israel and Judah were frustrated shepherds. But not just the kings; some prophets too failed in their task as shepherds because they did not prophesy the word of God, but only their own words. Equally, among the priests there were some who led their sheep astray with their bad example. And, if those who are the pillars of the building stagger, who will be able to keep standing on their feet? This is the great tragedy of history in every generation. In ours too. A generation without shepherds lives in a state of confusion. A generation with shepherds who are not real shepherds falls prey to a lack of confidence in authority, experiences the anguish of confusion, wraps itself up in a subjectivism that is atrocious and devoid of solidarity. Every generation urgently needs shepherds who are witnesses, who with their lives show the real way forward.

The Good Shepherd. In the first reading, God presents himself as the Shepherd par excellence, the shepherd of the sheep of Judah. With the passing of centuries, the image of God as Shepherd is incarnated and reflected in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. What does a good shepherd do? Above all else, he feels a sincere compassion for the sheep that have been led astray, that are disoriented, without a guide. He must gather the sheep under his guidance, to avoid the wolves that would trap them and eat them up, and to keep them all well-fed. Then, he will make sure that they grow and multiply, prolonging his kindness to man throughout the history of the world. Finally, he will choose other shepherds to help him in his task as a guide, and with them he will continue to lead the sheep to green pastures and fresh waters (a pure Gospel, a healthy philosophy, dogmatic and moral doctrine of the Church, powerful actions and signs of God by means of them). The Good Shepherd needs many and good shepherds.

PASTORal SUGGESTIONS

In Search of Orientation. Sociologists who take the pulse of the society in which we live agree that humanity has come to the end of a historical journey. At the present time, humanity has the best means to undertake a phenomenal and grandiose journey for the future, but the pilots have no idea which way to go. They run, fly, sail the sea of history, with no direction. This is why our time is a magnificent moment, an extraordinary opportunity for the Church. For two thousand years, the Church founded by Jesus Christ has known where it comes from and where it is going. The Church has the roadmap to help humanity to reach its destination, which can be no other but God. As Cardinal Ersilio Tonini says, we have come to a time in which in international get-togethers and in Parliaments, people are willing to speak about Christ, the origin, guide and destination of humankind. Not just in major get-togethers, but also in the small get-togethers of the diocese, the parish, groups and movements, Christ and Christian values are gathering a momentum. They are a guide for the disoriented.

United under the same Shepherd. Before a society that anxiously seeks some form of guidance, it is urgent for all of us Christians to unite under the same Shepherd, the Good Shepherd. The first guidance that Christ offers us is precisely unity in truth and in charity. There are many centuries in which divisions have prevailed, and so the path towards full union among Christians is long and difficult. This should not surprise us. With God’s help, the experts and those in charge of the various Christian communities will mark the boundaries of discussion and offer the solutions that best respond to God’s plan. We should bear in mind that although there is a lot to divide us, there is a lot more to unite us. Let us promote with word and deed unity in the truth, but to an even greater degree unity in love among all Christians. We can do this by respecting members of other Christian communities and by fostering and defending fundamental human and Christian values... In this joint effort, may we always be guided by Christ the Shepherd, the only Shepherd of all. United under the same Shepherd we will more easily and more effectively be true guides for our society.

Source: http://www.clerus.org/clerus/dati/2004-05/21-13/CICLOB.html by P. ANTONIO IZQUIERDO L.C. (1948-2013)

[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].