COMPASSIONATE SHEPHERDING


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

On this sixteenth Sunday of the ordinary time, we are invited to turn our focus on shepherding. The sustenance of any institution lies on people who lead it. For instance, the significance of the company depends on it managerial board that oversees it, the well-functioning of the family depends on parents, who animate it. Similarly, the survival of the kingdom depends on the king, who leads it. In our first reading, we have a condemnation against King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. Jeremiah denounces him (King Zedekiah) saying that, he has destroyed and scattered the sheep of HIS (God’s) pasture. In Israel, king was only a human representation of the real King; the YHWH God Himself. Recall, the words of YHWH to Samuel, “they rejected me from being a king over them” (1 Sam 8:7). The demand of the Israel to have human king displeased God. In doing so, they rejected the lordship of God over them. However, YHWH God granted human king as per their wish (1 Sam 8:19-22). Yet they were given a warning about the corruption and danger they would face from human king (Cf. 1 Sam 8:10-18). This warning is realized during the time of Jeremiah. The corruption has reached its peak. Kings are no more loyal to the one who instituted them as kings. They falter one after the other. Consequently, the whole kingdom gets messed up. The imminent danger is the exile to Babylon. In this context, Jeremiah pronounces woes to King Zedekiah for both; destroying and scattering of the flock. The corrupt shepherding has swallowed up the lives of many innocents of the land and scattered good number of them to other places. The Lord promises to gather the scattered people and restore His kingdom. He is going to do away with all these corrupt shepherds and bring out a new king from Davidic lineage. That new king will be called as “the Lord is OUR justice” which contrast with the meaning of King Zedekiah “the Lord is MY justice”. The selfishness will no more be found with the new human king. This new selfless king is the Lord Jesus who shows compassion for the sheep in the gospel of today.

Jesus shows compassion to two kinds of sheep. First kind of sheep are His co-workers in the kingdom; the apostles. They are invited to take some rest in the deserted place, as they have just returned from their missionary experience. The apostles report to Jesus about their preaching ministry. They are very authentic in reporting. They say to their master Jesus both about their preaching as well as their deeds – what they did too! As compassionate master Jesus takes them to a lonely place for rest and retreat. He is not much interested in getting their reports immediately, nor wanting to allow the apostles to get too excited about their ministry and be lost in their enthusiasm. The authentic evaluation could happen only after short pause, sufficient retreat and recollection. Thus, Jesus invitation to rest a while is not only to retreat from active ministry but also to evaluate it authentically. This is why we need annual retreats and monthly recollections. They help us to know who we are and how we are doing. The second kind of sheep to whom Jesus shows compassion is the people who are left without proper shepherds and pasture. The decision of Jesus to spend sometime privately with the apostles could not be materialized as people are very eager to listen to Him and be pastured through His shepherding. Jesus gives up the rest and gets into action. At times we may need to forgo our personal leisure for the sake of greater good. We need to be ready for it. Nevertheless, we are not expected to give priority to our mission always. Jesus retreated regularly into a deserted place, to the house of Lazarus and to His hometown Nazareth for relaxation and renewal. Regular rest is needed to renew our mission as well as strengthen the body – the great instrument for our mission.

The lesson we could take from today’s reading is to be compassionate shepherds. All of us are shepherds in different ways at various capacities such as within the church, in the family, at work place and so forth. In all those areas we need to pasture the sheep very well. We need to establish not ‘MY justice’ (one’s self projected justice) but ‘OUR justice’ (commonly oriented justice) in our shepherding. Let us be also compassionate in our shepherding. The first place where we need to be compassionate is, to our body. In this fast paced culture rest is must, to avoid getting burned out of work and becoming grouchy and angry. Most of psychological illness will be averted if one is compassionate towards one’s body and mind. Remember your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). Take care of that temple. Be compassionate in approaching and using that hat holy place.             

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