16th Sunday in Ordinary Time B – July 21, 2024

 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time B – July 21, 2024

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

 

Theme: Let us Follow Jesus Fervently, and His Heart will Move with Pity For us

In last Sunday’s liturgy, we meditated on the three reasons Jesus called his disciples and continues to call us today. The three reasons are: To be with Jesus, Represent him, and Minister in his name. Jesus has sent us on a mission, shared with us his authority over unclean spirits, and empowered us to preach repentance, drive out demons, and cure the sick. He called us not to focus on material needs; instead, we must rely on divine providence. If we experience rejection as he himself did, we were taught to shake the dust off our feet in testimony against those who would reject God’s mission. Continuing with the same topic, today, our Holy Mother Church wants us to meditate on another aspect of our mission: to feel hungry for Jesus, follow him with enthusiasm and determination, and Let him Shepherd us. In our first reading, God promised to provide a new king from David’s line who would shepherd his people justly. This promise is fulfilled in Jesus, who, in our Gospel, shepherded the vast crowd. Let us minister to our fellow brothers and sisters, breaking down “the dividing wall of enmity” and bringing them close to Jesus as Saint Paul exhorts us in our second reading.

Our Gospel passage continues the stories we heard on Sunday, July 7^th and 14th. After experiencing a lack of faith in Nazareth, his native place (6:1-6), Jesus saw how urgent it was to evangelize the people. He then sent his Twelve apostles on a mission two by two (6:7-13). The lectionary skipped the stories of Herod’s Opinion of Jesus (vv. 14-16) and the Death of John the Baptist (vv. 17-29). Today’s story is the Return of the Twelve from their mission (vv. 30-34). It precedes the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (vv. 35-44). Our Gospel passage is a narrative account. V. 30 starts the story by announcing the return of the “Twelve Sent” from their mission and their report to their Master Jesus. Vv. 31-33, which constitute the body of the text, contrast the need of the Twelve and Jesus to rest after working hard with the need of the crowd to hear the Word of God. V. 34 concludes the story with Jesus, despite his weariness, choosing to teach the crowd over resting.

The “Twelve Sent” return from their mission. They gather together with Jesus and report to him how they did in the mission (v. 30). Remember that their mission and ours consist of being with Jesus, representing him, and ministering in his name. Through this verse, our Holy Mother Church reminds us that every day, Jesus sends us on a mission in our daily lives and work. At the end of each day, before we retire to bed, for instance, we are called to gather together with our Lord and reflect on how we stayed in contact with him, represented him, and ministered in his name in our families, neighborhoods, societies, and wherever we live and work. This is the essence of daily prayer. In acknowledging our shortcomings, we seek forgiveness; in recognizing our successes, we praise him, who sends us, and ask for more graces for the next mission on a new day. We are Jesus’ emissaries where we live and work. Let us be mindful to report to him what we do daily through prayers.

Jesus is happy to hear what his disciples did on their mission. Recognizing their hard work, he invites them to a quiet place to rest. However, many people are still coming to them, not allowing them even to eat. Wanting to escape the crowd's disturbance, Jesus and his disciples went off in the boat by themselves to a different place. Yet, the people from all the towns follow them in haste on foot and arrive at the place before them (vv. 31-33). There are three things the crowd did in this part of the Gospel that the Church calls us to meditate on: they hastened, followed on foot, and arrived before Jesus and his disciples.

First, the crowd “hastened” to follow Jesus. Hastening shows how they needed Jesus and were hungry to hear God’s Word. We, too, should hasten when we come to Jesus, especially at the Eucharistic celebration. We do not follow Jesus at Mass because Sunday is the day of obligation, and we avoid being reproached. Instead, we should come to Mass because we love Jesus and feel hungry to hear his Word and to receive his Body and Blood in the Holy Communion. Therefore, we must hasten and be happy.  Second, the crowd followed Jesus “on foot.” They did not have cars as we do today. Walking a long distance shows how they were determined and motivated to make their meeting with Jesus possible. We, too, are called to show Jesus how we are interested and determined to meet him at Masses and other spiritual activities no matter what. Third, the crowd arrived at the place before Jesus and his disciples (v. 33). Note that they followed Jesus and his disciples on foot while Jesus’s group used the boat. Which is a faster trip than walking. This verse encourages us to always come to Church on time, not late. Our attitude and preparation before Mass determine if we are happy and long to meet our Lord. Jesus sees our hearts. Let us hasten and come to him on time.

Jesus and his disciples arrive at the private place they chose for rest, intending to escape the people's disturbance. Surprisingly, they find a large crowd waiting for them. Considering the long distance this crowd walked, which shows their determination and hunger for the Word of God, Jesus has compassion for them, for they are like “sheep without a shepherd.” He begins teaching them (V. 34). Jesus’ heart moves with pity when we hasten to follow him because we feel hungry for the Word of God. He takes care of us by teaching us the Word of God (the first part of the Mass) and feeding us with Body and Blood in the Holy Communion (the second part of the Mass) as he did to the crowd of our Gospel in the story that immediately follows ours, “The Feeding of the Twelve Thousand” (vv. 35-44). The narrator depicts Jesus as a “Shepherd” and the crowd as the “sheep.” In our first reading, God portrayed himself as the good Shepherd who would gather the “remnant” of his flock from all the lands and bring them back to their folds He also promised to raise up shepherds who would shepherd his people (Jr 23:3-4). Jesus is God, the Good Shepherd. He gathers us, who are his flock from all nations, races, and cultures, around the Eucharistic Table. In our second reading, Saint Paul confirms it when he says that Jesus broke down the dividing wall of enmity. In Jesus, we who were far off have become near (Eph 2:13-14). Our Good Shepherd Jesus raised and continues to raise up shepherds, who are you and me, to shepherd our brothers and sisters so that “they need no longer fear or be terrified; none shall be missing.” (See Jr. 23:4).

Let us always feel hungry for Jesus, follow him with enthusiasm and determination, and let ourselves be shepherded by him. Then, in our turn, we will know how to shepherd our brothers and sisters by bringing us close to each other and to God. Amen.

Rev. Leon Ngandu, SVD