SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF TH E YEAR - B

SIXTEENTH SUNDAY OF THE YEAR – B (Jer 23:1-6; Ps 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34) Theme: We Are Called To Be the Shepherds In the World and For the World Reflection: Transformation from the prophets to the pastors - Last Sunday we have reflected that we are called to be the prophets and to speak in the name of the Lord. We have also seen that we have to acknowledge our identity as the prophet comes from God himself. God speaks through the mouth and mediation of the prophets. Finally we have also seen that Jesus is the Great Prophet IN whom God is ever present and IN his whole being, that is his every word and every action, God manifests himself. Thus, God has spoken through the prophets first and ultimately IN Jesus. We are also “called” and “sent” in his name: to be his testimony in the world. - This Sunday, the message is little more profound and deeper. We are called to be the pastors or shepherds. Prophets only talk and manifest in their words God’s love for his people. But the pastors/shepherds have a task more effective. They not only speak in the name of the Lord but moreover they feed the sheep. In the former, the word is enough; but in the latter, it is the action that is evident. In the former, the message is provided; but in the latter, the food is provided. In the former, there is a testimony of word; but in the latter, there is a testimony of love. The word goes beyond itself and opens the space for the concrete action. Prophet is the one who says that God will provide the eternal banquet for his people. Instead, the pastor is the one who actually and really provides it. - There is this transformation from being the prophets to being the pastors. The difference is to be understood well. This does not mean that the pastor eliminates the role of the prophet and replaces him. It is transformation that takes place. This is clear from the biblical revelation too. Prophets are seen only in the Old Testament except John the Baptist who actually is the one who prepares the way for Jesus. Now the question arises: why the prophets are not seen in the New Testament? The answer is here: Jesus is both Great Prophet and Good Shepherd: He does not stop merely with the proclamation of God’s love but goes forward to prepare an Eternal Pastures for his people. He prepares this Banquet of Love not merely with the word but with the concrete action on the cross and in the resurrection. - From Jesus the role of the prophet is hidden under the cover of concrete action of the pastor. Prophecy is there as long as the word is preached but it has to go beyond itself and has to take the form of the reality. Jesus himself is the model and fountain for this transformation. Prophet is satisfied with the carrying of the word of God to his people. Whereas the Shepherd is not satisfied until he finds his sheep, frightened and wounded, and gives them the life and life in abundance. We are called to the pastors in this manner. Yes, indeed, we are the prophets as we have seen on the Sunday past but this Sunday Jesus asks us to climb yet another step. He calls us to be the shepherds of his people. He calls us to take care of his people and offer them the hope and salvation. We can do this only when we take up the example of Jesus. The entire action of both prophet and pastor has its origin in God himself. It is God who reveals the plan of his love to his people through the word of the prophets and through the feeding of the pastors. We have roots for this in the Old Testament itself. It is God who provides the pastors who lead his people, Israel and in fact all the people of the world, to the ever green pastures of his love and life. God himself provides the pastors: It is the Will of God - Shepherds after the heart of God: In the first reading we have the prophecy of Jeremiah. God promises to his people: “I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them” (Jer 23:4). In the beginning of the prophecy of Jeremiah God already makes known his plan: “I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3:15). The book of Jeremiah as the rest of the prophetical literature shows that God establishes his pastors. It is the promise made to the people of Israel who are in the Babylonian slavery. The context is already presented: God wills to restore his people after the exile. The exile was caused by the evil doing of the pastors that were before. God wants to remove all these evil shepherds and raise up the pastors “who are of his heart” and “who pasture his people”. - To proclaim and to gather the scattered sheep: the task of the pastors that will be raised up by God himself is in the double form: first of all, they have to proclaim the messianic hope and secondly, they have to call into unity all the people that went away from God’s path. o First, to proclaim the messianic hope: the pastors that God raises up are not the eternal pastors and they only prefigure the Great and Good Shepherd that God raises up for his people. Through their life and work they manifest the messianic hope to his people who are desperate and helpless in their condition of slavery. Their task is to bring the people the good news that God will fulfill his promise one day and restore them under the wing of love. o Second, to unite the dispersed people: the people of Israel are scattered because of the loss of battles and the various enslavement. They are the chosen people of God. He has made a covenant to be with them if only they remain faithful to him. But the story changed. They have become unfaithful and neglected God who has chosen and called them for himself. On the other hand, God is always true to his promise and faithful to his covenant. He wants to show his goodness and mercy and thus wants to gather all his people around one table of love. The shepherds are established by God for this purpose of uniting all the scattered people. This is indeed the promise of God: “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply” (Jer 23:3). - The Promise is fulfilled in the Person of Jesus Christ: the promise that God made through the prophets and in particular through Jeremiah is now realized. God raised up His own Son as the Shepherd of his people: he proclaims the message of the kingdom of God and gathers all the people of the world into one sheep with and under the Cross. o Jesus is the True and Good Pastor: Jesus himself affirms that he is the Good Shepherd: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). He is the good shepherd who goes in search of the lost sheep and saves them: “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He also distinguishes between the good shepherd and a hired shepherd. Hired shepherd works for the salary and he is only concerned of his payment. When something unusual happens and there is a threat to him and to the sheep he prefers to save his life first rather than guarding the sheep. He is not for his sheep always. He is with the sheep only as long as he is paid well and as long as there is no danger. On the other hand, the true shepherd is quite different: He is for his sheep always and in every situation. He does not even step back when there appears some danger. He himself goes out to face the danger and thus makes the safe and secure way for his sheep. He goes further even to give up his life when it is needed to save his flock. In this way Jesus is the Good Shepherd who offers his life for his sheep. o Jesus prepares the Good Pastures: Jesus, the good shepherd, by giving his life on the cross gathers all the people that are gathered because of their fear and desperation. He gathers them by the unity of the Cross. He unites both God and man vertically and he brings peace between the people horizontally. This is what is expressed by Paul in the second reading of today: Jesus is our peace (Eph 2:14). In the Cross where both vertical and horizontal poles meet Jesus establishes the unity of God and humanity. This event of the Cross is manifested in the concrete manner in the “Banquet of Love” he prepared for us in the Eucharist. This was also the promise of God through the Psalms: He prepares a table for his people (Ps 23:5). The good and green pastures that the good shepherd prepares are this Eucharist of God’s love. He leads and guides all those who are hungry for God’s salvation to this banquet and ‘they will be with the Lord for ever’ (Ps 23:6). He does not leave his people alone and neglected after his going to the Father and it is for this purpose that He chooses for himself “the shepherds to feed the sheep.” Jesus chooses for himself his pastors: It is a call of Jesus - The work of feeding the flock has to be continued until all gather around the table of the Lord. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, has initiated and has given the accomplishment to this work through his Cross and Resurrection. But after his Ascension to His Father this mission has to be carried forward until the last day. For this mission of feeding the sheep Jesus has chosen for himself the disciples. This call to become the good shepherds contains two reciprocal elements: first, an invitation to stay with him and second, a command to feed the flock. o An invitation “to be with Him”: The call of Jesus extended to his disciples is first of all not to go and preach immediately but “to stay with him”. We see this already in the election of his disciples: “He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message” (Mark 3:14). First to be with him and only then to be sent out. This is the invitation Jesus made and it appears in different forms. In John 1:38-39 we see Jesus inviting his disciples “to come and see” Him. It is a call to come and see first and learn from him what he is and how is, apart from where he is. This invitation also implies the aspect of learning from him. He calls them to learn from him. In Mathew 11:29, Jesus invites all his listeners to take up his cross and to learn from him that he is gentile and humble in heart. This is seen also in the gospel of today: Jesus invites his disciple to come away to a deserted place (Mark 6:31). He calls them to come apart so that they remain only with him and learn from him his life and mission of “offering the proper life for his sheep”. o A command “to feed the sheep”: the invitation is followed and sustained by the command and commission. Jesus invites his disciples not only to be with him and to learn from him but also to go out to do the same: this is the missionary aspect of every disciple. To Peter and to all the Apostles, the Risen Jesus entrusts this mission of feeding the sheep. His command is to “feed my sheep” (John 21:15-17). This feeding the sheep or pasturing the flock has two directions: internal and external.  To feed the lost sheep of the fold: This command is for the internal life of the faithful. The mission is offered to look after the proper believers who actually belong to the community of faithful but somehow have been missed the way with the discouragement and scandal of faith and thus, remain “away” from the Church. The disciples are called to feed such sheep who belong to the church and yet remain indifferent for various positive and negative reasons.  To feed the sheep without shepherd: This command is for the external mission of the Church. The pastors/shepherds have to take care also the sheep that never have faith. All the people belong to God though they do not externally profess their faith. They are actually the sheep without the shepherd (Mark 6:34). The pastors have to show compassion and love for them too to bring them to the shelter of the Good Pastor, Jesus Christ. Conclusion: We are the pastors in the world and for the world - All the Christians are called to be the shepherds: Some are elected in the virtue of consecration. Pope, Bishops, Priests and Deacons are consecrated for the special ministry of shepherding the people. Some are elected in the virtue of the call and this call is received by every Christian in the Baptism. They also share in the ministry of being pastors in the sense of caring for the people with concern and love. What does it mean to feed the sheep or to be/become pastors? The readings of today throw some light on this. From the three readings we can draw out three points to learn and live in order to be good shepherds. - To create a new society of justice and equality: The first reading inspires us to be pastors in the sense of constructing a society with justice. Our God himself is called “God our Justice” (Jer 23:6). As the pastors we need to work for this building of renewed community of fraternity and justice. - To carry to all the message of peace and reconciliation: The second reading offers us the illumination for this element. Jesus is our peace and he has destroyed the wall of separation and has established friendship. This happened with the power of his Cross. We are called to defuse this peace and reconciliation. We need to destroy every barrier that brings “distinction and distance” among the people with various motives. We are pastors who carry this message to all first being ourselves at peace and harmony and then only by proclaiming both by word and action the message of unity. - To care for the “sheep without shepherd” with the banquet of love: The Gospel is very particular to narrate the compassion of Jesus when he saw the crowds following him: he saw them as the sheep without shepherd and begins to feed them with the word first and then with the food (the passage that follows today’s gospel). Now we are the pastors. First thing we have to remember is that as Christians our life is not (only) for ourselves. It is always for others. Therefore, we have to take care of the sheep that is entrusted to us: in the family, in the office, in the society, and in the Church. Every one of us has a role to play. This care for the proper flock leads us also to extend our care and concern. In the world there is also another sheep without shepherd: people without faith and knowledge of the Good Shepherd. We need to extend our mission of being pastors to others also. In fact, this is what we do when we extend our help to the collaborating and charitable institutions. Our love crosses the borders and breaks the barriers. Only thus, we can be good shepherds after the heart of Jesus Christ. We need to take this task on our shoulders because we are all called to be the shepherds.