Homily 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B I Homily 21 July 2024 Year B

 

My dear friends today we celebrate the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B. The readings today revolve around the theme of ‘shepherds and their sheep.’ The first reading taken from the post-exilic prophet Jeremiah, issues judgment to shepherds who did not uphold their duties to their flock. ‘Shepherd and sheep’ is a common metaphor from the ancient Near East referring to human kings and leaders as shepherds to the people who are the sheep. This imagery is appropriate since the duties and responsibilities of shepherds involved taking care of their sheep, feeding, protecting and guiding them just as a king or a leader is supposed to do. However, this wasn’t the case with the kings of Judah due to which they found themselves in exile, scattered among the nations. In the previous chapter, God condemned the three prior kings of Judah, who had governed unjustly and exploited their people. (Jer 22:1-30) The blame for the exile was placed squarely on the last few kings of Judah before the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem. With the evil shepherds out of the picture, God acted as the shepherd. He took the initiative, gathered the scattered flock, brought them back to the fold of the land of Israel, and raised up new shepherds – new leaders – for them.

The latter part of the text speaks about God’s promise of a new king in the Davidic line, referred to metaphorically as a “branch.” God would raise up a branch who would reign wisely so that Judah and Israel would be saved. An important characteristic of a proper leader or shepherd is the execution of justice and righteousness in the land. Jeremiah had in mind an earthly king and a future Davidic monarchy. Certainly, the just leadership that Jeremiah hoped for, is seldom fulfilled in the world even to this day. As our shepherds, unfortunately, prefer looking after themselves than their sheep. Nonetheless we must continue to strive, however imperfectly, to achieve justice in this world and bring about the kingdom of God.

In the second reading taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul highlights the reconciliation of Jews and Gentiles brought about by the sacrifice of Christ. He states different ways in which this reconciliation was brought about: First, the Gentiles who were considered outsiders were now allowed to draw near to God and were no longer considered outsiders. Second, the wall that separated the court of the Gentiles from the inner court where the Jews worshiped in the Jewish temple was broken down, and unity between the two groups was established. Third, Jesus abolished the hostility between Jews and Gentiles caused by the law of commandments contained in ordinances. This law made it difficult for Gentiles to convert to Judaism, which caused tension between the two groups. However, through the sacrifice of Jesus, the law was fulfilled, and there is now no longer any hostility between Jews and Gentiles. They are united in one new man through Jesus Christ and both Jews and Gentiles have access to God through the sacrifice of Jesus. They are no longer separated by the law, but are united through the Holy Spirit to the Father. The question before us is - Do we bring about reconciliation between people or are we a cause of division?

The gospel taken from Mark continues the theme of ‘shepherd and sheep’ as we have seen in the first reading. The text follows the narrative of John’s beheading, and serves as an accusation against Herod the shepherd of the people. While Herod hosted a banquet for the rich leaders, the ordinary people became sheep without a shepherd.  The text today picks up from last Sunday’s narrative of the mission of the twelve apostles. When the apostles returned, unlike modern corporate companies that seek to extract the maximum from their employees, Jesus tells them to stop and rest for a while. However, this rest is not merely physical or bodily rest. Jesus offers them spiritual rest, rest for their souls. Though we all focus on physical rest, what about spiritual rest? Are we getting enough of it? And what happens when we don’t get enough rest for our souls? When we don’t spend enough time in prayer or reading the Bible? Just as our bodies become weak without rest, our soul becomes weak and vulnerable to sin without spiritual rest.

Jesus’s popularity was increasing rapidly and His followers were so keen on locating Him that they ran faster on foot than those travelling by boat.  It makes us wonder why were these people following Him? Surely the main motivation was that He was healing people and curing their illnesses, which in those times when medical science wasn’t as advanced as today, would be the major cause of concern for the people. Have there been times when you have been desperate for something and you ran helter skelter trying to find it? Its similar to what sheep do without a shepherd. They just wander aimlessly. When we are desperate we go to different places and people to seek help. Where do you take your problems? The true shepherd protects, guides and nurtures but the false shepherds that we turn to only take advantage of our vulnerabilities. The readings today invite us to turn to Jesus the true shepherd instead of going to the false shepherds of the world. Offer your problems to Jesus - He is the Divine Shepherd, who will gather His sheep from the places where they have been scattered.

I pray that our shepherds – our political and religious leaders, may lead us closer to the kingdom of God. May each one of us be an instrument of reconciliation in our communities and as we turn to Jesus the true shepherd, may we too become shepherds to the least and lost sheep in our communities. May God bless us all.