The care of the Lord for us, God's beloved flock, is a strong theme
in this Sunday's readings. It is impossible not to pause for awhile
and be taken aback at the harsh words of the Lord in the first
reading from the Book of Jeremiah, "Woe to the shepherds who mislead
and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the LORD." That is a very
stern warning and is particularly applicable to those who guide
others spiritually. I think it is also applicable to all those who
are in positions of authority. It is not hard to come up with a list
of recent flashing headlines of situations in which those in
authority have been accused of great misdeeds. More than likely,
each of us can add a personal item or two of situations in which an
authority figure seems guilty of abusing power, or misleading or
scattering those for whom he or she should be caring.
Many times, justice does not seem to prevail nor injustices
rectified in our eyes at this type of serious betrayal. Although we
may feel great pain, we do have the words of the Lord as
consolation: "I will take care to punish your evil deeds." The Lord
will not only punish those who have been evil shepherds but has
already provided a true Shepherd for us in Jesus. Jesus is our
refuge and our role model for "he shall reign and govern wisely, he
shall do what is just and right in the land."
In the Gospel selection from Mark, the apostles reported to Jesus
"all that they had done and taught". Jesus takes note of their needs
for He knows that their responsible discipleship had depleted much
of their spiritual and physical stamina. Jesus says, "Come away by
yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." As many readers
have experienced themselves, the time to eat and rest was negligible
before more demands were made on the apostles. Note that Jesus does
the teaching, however, suggesting that the apostles did indeed get
some time off! Jesus, the true Shepherd, cared for those closest to
Him as well as the vast crowd and He did so Himself, as promised in
the first reading.
What do these readings mean for us today? Our place, we who are
baptized into Jesus's roles of "priest, prophet, and king", is to
act by pointing out Truth ultimately even with harsh words, as in
this first reading or in the many Gospel stories that document
Jesus's words directed at the Pharisees. We are called to stand with
those who become victims, sheltering them with our prayers and
encouraging them with our voices. When we find ourselves in a
position of shepherding or governing others, whether it be within
the Church, our community, our workplace, or our family, we must
take extra care to act wisely and in accordance with justice. I
think that when we neglect to do these positive things, we become an
accomplice in the kind of shepherding against which the Lord
responded so strongly.
Acting this way in true discipleship does require energy and focus,
both of which are gained through prayer. All of us must simply make
the time to pray and also to refresh ourselves so that we can indeed
be used effectively in the Lord's service. The prayer time must
include quiet time.
The time to refresh seems to have become forgotten on the "to do
list" of those in ministry. It must not be pushed aside as
unnecessary, however, because the demands seem so great. Even
fifteen to twenty minutes of personal time daily honors God because,
in a sense, it says we trust that God can handle the problems of the
world without us !
(Comments to Lanie at lanieleblanc@mindspring.com.)
As we read and hear these readings this day, may we become more
determined to insist on proper shepherding of ourselves and by
ourselves. May our prayers be lifted to God on behalf of victims and
may our voices be joined to seek justice in small ways and in larger
ways as we strive to include every way. May we become more willing
to do the Lord's work and help ourselves be able to do so through
prayer time and time to refresh.