16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Cycle B
2000

First Reading
Jeremiah 23:1-6

Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture, says the Lord. Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them, but I will take care to punish your evil deeds. I myself will gather the remnant of my flock from all the lands to which I have driven them and bring them back to their meadow; there they shall increase and multiply. I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble; and none shall be missing, says the Lord. Behold, the days are coming, says thLord, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as king he shall reign and govern wisely, he shall do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah shall be saved, Israel shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: "The Lord our justice."

Second Reading
Ephesians 2:13-18

In Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ. It is he who is our peace, and who made the two of us one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart. In his own flesh he abolished the law with its commands and precepts, to create in himself one new man from us who had been two, and to make peace, reconciling both of us to God in one body through his cross which put that enmity to death. He came and "announced the good news of peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near"; through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father

Gospel
Mark 6:30-34

The apostles returned to Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and what they had taught. He said to them, "Come by yourselves to an out-of-the-way place and rest a little." People were coming and going in great numbers, making it impossible for them to so much as eat. So Jesus and the apostles went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place. People saw them leaving, and many got to know about it. People from all the towns hastened on foot to the place, arriving ahead of them. Upon disembarking Jesus saw a vast crowd. He pitied them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them at great length.

Text from Lectionary for Mass
© 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine
© 1969 International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc.
All rights reserved

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Yes, I would love to have someone who could teach me clearly about the things of God and show me exactly the path on which I should walk! The people in the Gospel go after Jesus because he teaches clearly the way of God. The prophet Jeremiah tells us of other kinds of shepherds: those who mislead the people.

There are people who are very gullible and open to the teachings of others-perhaps too much so. This is the kind of person who can end up in a sect or some kind of very closed group. And there are others who never learn to trust anyone. The readings today invite us to look at those who teach us, those who are our shepherds and to whom we turn for guidance. Most of us have at least one person and sometimes a few people to whom we would turn if we really needed help. Today we can reflect on those people, because they tell us a lot about ourselves.

I wonder if very many of us would turn to a priest or a nun for advice? Do we see these people as persons who could actually give us good advice in our lives. In this instance, I would have to discount my own personal experience, because I have been in a seminary or a Monastery since I was 14 years old. Certainly I would not trust a lot of the priests or sisters that I have known, but I have found some wonderful shepherds among them in my life.

The person who lives in an ordinary parish or congregation does not always have much to pick from. Today, more and more, we find the people that we trust and turn to in time of need not to be the priest or the nun but someone else.

Always we need to live in reality and not in pretence. The Church is having a hard time in the developed countries recruiting men and women as priests and women religious. In the underdeveloped countries this is not yet so. There we often find the very best of the young people entering into such vocations.

What does all this have to do with a spiritual life? A lot! We stay active in our parishes and congregations when we feel that we are truly being led to God. When we do not sense that reality to be present, we tend to lapse.

We need to learn to challenge our leaders to be what they are called to be. We need to continue finding ways to strengthen our parishes and congregations in the love of Christ and as a community in Him.

The first and foremost challenge is always my own personal conversion. If I can strive with all my energy to be a saint, to be holy, to live totally in Christ, then the who parish or congregation or monastery begins to change. When we are scandalized by those who lead us, we need to learn to turn to prayer and to a deeper inner life within us, given us by Christ.

Let us ask today for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to come upon all those who shepherd us in any way. Let us ask that each of us might grow in holiness and love.

© 2000 The Monastery of Christ in the Desert