|
|
|
PRE-NOTE: We have just posted an article by Sr. Brenda Walsh, OP entitled, SEARCHING FOR A CONTEMPLATIVE WAY OF LIFE. You will find it good input in the light Jesus’ invitation to his disciples, "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place...." Go to www.judeop.org and click on "Dominican Preaching." The gospel describes the people, like lost sheep, coming helter-skelter to search Jesus out. It reminds me of a time I was with a group of shepherds in the hills of West Virginia. We were sharing today’s gospel. The shepherds posed a riddle, "If there were 100 sheep in a pasture and one jumped over the fence how many would be left?" That wasn’t a very hard question to answer – or so I thought. "Ninety nine," I quickly responded – but with a sense of suspicion. Their answer proved I didn’t have a clue about sheep. "Nope," said one of the shepherds, "sheep are so dumb they would all follow the first and there would be none left! You’ve got to keep an eye on them all the time, because sooner or later they’ll get in trouble, or lost, or eaten by a wild animal." How was I to know this, there were no sheep or shepherds on the streets of Brooklyn where I played stickball as a kid! But the people of the Bible would certainly know what today’s references to shepherding meant. God, speaking through Jeremiah, says, in disgust of Israel’s leaders, who had the responsibility for shepherding the people, "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock... I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them...." Who says we moderns have little in common with Jesus and his disciples? Judging from today’s gospel, they and we have trouble finding time to take a break from the frenetic rush and responsibilities of daily life. For example, modern technology is both a marvel and a major stress-producer. We have instant access to one another, but we have trouble escaping from that access. There probably isn’t a parish we go these days that doesn’t precede worship services with an announcement like this: "Before we began our service this morning would you please turn off your cell phones and pagers." Nothing spoils the prayerful atmosphere more, it seems, then a cell phone’s jazzy ring in the middle of the most solemn part of the service. Worshipers seem to tolerate a crying baby better than the person who forgets to heed the request made before the service began, "Please turn off your cell phones and pagers." Jesus and his disciples didn’t have the intrusion of modern technology to interrupt their need for quiet and rest. But what they did have was a vast number of desperate people looking for leadership. In the image of today’s Jeremiah and Mark readings, they were, "like sheep without a shepherd." During biblical times the king was often likened to a shepherd. Jeremiah criticizes the shepherds, both the political and religious leaders of Judah, who led the people astray. These leaders were corrupt and their evil ways caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the people’s exile to Babylon. What the people needed were good leaders to shepherd them. Jeremiah says God has decided to take on that task. This promise would be fulfilled, the people believed, by an ideal, future king, who would gather the flock and restore Israel to its former glory. We Christians see God’s promise fulfilled in Jesus, as today’s passage from Mark shows. But Jesus wasn’t the shepherd who would lead to military greatness and worldly treasures. Just a brief look at today’s Psalm Response. The 23rd Psalm suggests some ways God fulfills the promise to shepherd us. According to that Psalm, God nourishes and guides us to rest and refreshment; comforts, encourages and removes our fear – at the very moment we face our enemies ("in the sight of my foes"). As we face the darkness and even death, God, the Shepherd, sets a table to nourish us and anoints our heads with oil to comfort and strengthen us. Have you ever been at the bedside of someone who, facing death, exhibits calm and courage? If we have, then we know that God is present and is doing just as God promised in Jeremiah, "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock... and bring them back to their meadow...." Since Jesus wasn’t the expected military leader the people anticipated, what form does his shepherding take? Today Mark tells us that one way he shepherds us is by teaching. When Jesus sees the crowd he is "moved with pity for them." I am not a doctor, but I know one thing: if I saw a person lying on the ground bleeding, I would do my best to stop the flow of blood. If I saw a blind person stepping out into on-coming traffic, I would run up to pull them back to the sidewalk. If I came upon a starving person I would get them some food. First things first. Which is what Jesus does, he addresses the people’s most serious needs. Upon disembarking from the boat with his disciples, Jesus sees the vast crowd and "his heart was moved with pity for them...." He sees what they need most and so he teaches them. First things first. They and we hunger for his teaching. That’s why the first half of our liturgy focuses on the Word of God. We need to hear the good news about God and so our spiritual hunger brings us to church again today. The Shepherd promised by God has arrived and teaches the bewildered flock. He is the true Shepherd they have lacked; he will not leave them on their own because God will not leave them. Through Jesus they will learn about the reign of God. He will teach them that: God loves them and is ready to forgive their sins; though the world treats them as last, in God’s eyes they are first; God is their true Ruler and God’s reign is one of justice, peace and love. Jesus will also teach them that, if they accept his teaching and receive the reign of God into their lives, then they must treat others as God is treated them: love one another; welcome the stranger; forgive even their enemies; care for the needy and welcome the least and forgotten to their table. It’s clear in Mark’s Gospel that Jesus was immensely popular with the crowds. Today’s gospel is a good example of that as they go out of their way to track him down, be with and listen to him. What the political and religious leaders of Israel had failed to do, Jesus was now doing – shepherding the people as Jeremiah promised, "... he shall reign and govern wisely, and he shall do what is just in the land." Compassion was the mark of the Shepherd. Teaching was his first response to the needs he saw in the people. Even in these hard times most of us can manage to eat, drink and take care of ourselves and our families. We may be strong enough to travel–but where are we going in life? Are we on the right path or are we drifting all over the place? Jesus is the Shepherd who provides us true nourishment for our journey – wisdom. That’s why we gather each week at Eucharist: to receive that Wisdom in the Word and the Meal we share. Did the crowd that day fully appreciate what happened? Good people and sinners; the rich and the poor; the healthy and the sick ate at the same "table." All were welcome and all were treated as equals. I wonder if they "got it" and let their lives be changed by the experience? When they met one another after that meal, did they treat each other differently? Do they put aside old grudges, forgive old injuries? Did they ever share one of their meals with others, feed them as freely as they were fed? If they did, then they "got it." Of course, all of the above could also be asked of us who are gathered around this table today. What difference will our being together, hearing the story and sharing the same meal, have on our lives?
|
