Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection July 21, 2024
Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
21st July 2024 (Sunday)
Psalter: Week 4
Reading of the Day
First Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
Psalm 23:1-3a, 3bc-4, 5, 6 (R. 1)
R/. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want
Second Reading: Ephesians 2:13-18
Brethren: Now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Alleluia
R/. Alleluia
V/. My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; and I know them, and they follow me
R/. Alleluia.
Gospel : Mark 6:30-34
At that time: The apostles returned to Jesus and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a desolate place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognized them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.
Daily Gospel Reflection
Sunday – Sixteenth Week of Ordinary Time
Guidelines: There is a deeper craving in every human being and this cannot be satiated by any worldly satisfaction. Only something above and beyond the human and worldly can truly quench this thirst
1. All the three readings today point to one common factor of “being scattered”, “being far off”, “gone away”. In the first reading from Jeremiah, the shepherds of Israel are blamed for scattering the people entrusted to their care. In the second reading from the letter to the Ephesians, the faithful are reminded that they were far off, and gone away from God, but the blood of Christ brought them near and together. In the gospel, the people are like sheep without a shepherd, without a clear focus and direction.
2. Both the shepherd and the sheep are blamed. There is no point in playing a blame game between both the parties. This happens often. The shepherds put the blame on the sheep that the sheep do not listen to them and they deliberately go away, far off and scattered. The more they try to gather them, the more they get disconnected. The more the shepherds try to unite them, the more the sheep divide themselves. The more the shepherds try to foster belongingness, the more they get estranged and distantiated.
3. On the other hand, the sheep also put the blame on their shepherds that they do not care for them, do not attend to them, do not nourish them, and guide them properly. Their shepherds have no time for them, no heart for them. The concern of their shepherds is no longer their safety, wellbeing and growth. They are often driven by their own interests and have no desire and effort for the good of the people. Often they themselves do not walk properly the Lord’s way. And how can they guide others?
4. At this point, again it is no use that each group defends and justifies their own group. Both the groups are blameworthy. The fault lies with both. There are bad sheep in spite of good shepherds. There are also good sheep in spite of bad shepherds. In other words, there are good shepherds in spite of bad sheep. There are also bad shepherds in spite of good sheep.
5. In the light of the readings, we can detect some main faults of the shepherds. They have scattered the flock, and have driven them away. They have not attended to them. They have failed to break down the walls of hostility among the sheep. Instead they perpetuate the division and retaliation. They fail to create one new man, that is a renewed life. They fail to reconcile the people to God and to one another, in the one mystical body of Christ, that is the church. They fail to bring hostility to an end. They fail to make peace between the warring groups. They fail to lead people to have access in one Spirit to the Father. Further, unlike the disciples who had no leisure even to eat, they may not be available to the people who are really hungering for God. Or, in other way, they may be over-involved and over-active, being so busy bodies that they may not find even a little to be alone by themselves in silence and solitude.
6. Now from the part of the people, the faults are: they do not realize that they are like sheep without a shepherd. First of all, they may not realize and feel the need for a shepherd. They may not accept their deviating and faltering tendencies. They may not nurture that deep hunger and thirst for God’s presence and word, unlike the people who ran to Jesus and the disciples on foot from all the towns. They may be so engrossed in their worldly affairs that they remain indifferent and mediocre toward the spiritual concerns.
7. But behind all this failing and faltering, what is the reason? It is not difficult to discover. The only reason is losing the touch, the connectivity and the oneness with the sole shepherd. He is the “Lord of righteousness”, the “Reconciler by his own blood” and the “Master and the shepherd”. When we do not listen to the supreme Shepherd, when we refuse to be nourished and guided by him, when we do not conduct ourselves docile and faithful toward him, then how can we be good sheep and shepherds? Now the vital question always remains: Am I a good sheep? Am I a good shepherd? With all my indifference and worldliness, can I really call myself a loyal sheep? With all my causing division and discrimination and seeking self-interests, can I really call myself a faithful shepherd?
Practice: It is always good to remember that all of us are essentially sheep to the one and the sole Shepherd. We may be called shepherds only in the functional sense of shepherding the people. Being a shepherd is not our identity but is a noble ministry! Being a sheep is our real identity and duty as well!
