Shepherding and Solidarity!

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jer 23:1-6; Eph 2:13-18; Mk 6:30-34

The sixteenth Sunday invites us to reflect on the shepherding and solidarity of God. 

The three readings help us meditate on the personal as well as the mediated care provided by God. In other words, God’s personal care is extended to the flock through shepherds that God sends out. 

The first reading provides context for other readings. It exposes the hypocrisy of the leaders (like Jehoahaz, Jehoiakim, etc.) of the people of Israel. When God condemns those who mislead His flock, the passage is also about God restoring His flock so that it will bear fruit and multiply. Two points draw our attention. At first, after eliminating the false shepherds who have scattered His sheep, God promises to shepherd His flock Himself. Here, we have a glimpse of God, the Good Shepherd. Secondly, God will raise shepherds after His own heart to tend to His flock. Thus, the exploitative leadership is replaced by the caring and tender leadership that will flow from God to the flock through the shepherds to ensure its flourishing.

The second reading emphasizes the greater unity that Jesus brought about by sacrificing himself on the cross. In this sense, the cross has become the unifier by bridging the gap between the Jews and the Gentiles. As against the leaders of the Old Testament who scattered and destroyed God’s flock, Jesus establishes the idea of a corporate body, and as such, the object of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was not merely to restore individuals but to rear a Church, composed of many units incorporated into one body. The integration that Christ achieved by shedding his blood on the cross becomes the point of motivation for Paul to encourage the Church at Ephesus to maintain unity and peace.  

We find Jesus offering an example of good leadership in the Gospel. Jesus ministering to the hapless crowd and sending disciples for mission contrasts with the destructive leadership of the OT that scattered and destroyed God’s flock. When his disciples come back from ministry more excited to give a full account of their achievements, Jesus insists on their rest and relaxation. Even when Jesus leads his disciples to rest, he allows himself to be disturbed by the needy who flock to him in large numbers. In what Jesus does, he exemplifies leadership and solidarity. Observing Jesus, who comes to the rescue of those people who were oppressed by the selfish religious leaders, St. Chrysostom wrote that the scribes were not so much pastors as wolves, because by teaching errors both by word and by example, they perverted the minds of the simple. 

The sixteenth Sunday helps us reflect on three important themes. 

Jesus the Good Shepherd: Though we find Jesus claiming to be the Good Shepherd in John’s Gospel (10:11), today’s passage shows Jesus the Good Shepherd in action. We may ask why the imagery of Jesus the Good Shepherd is so important. It is said that no other animal is more helpless and more in need of a shepherd than the sheep. This is why we find the imagery of Jesus the Good Shepherd rich, evocative, profound, and powerful. The Gospel image of Jesus the Good Shepherd strongly echoes the theme of the first reading, in which God Himself becomes the Shepherd of His flock to ensure its restoration and flourishing. In sum, we find in Jesus God the Good Shepherd. 

Shepherds after His Own Heart: The Good Shepherd is good not only because he cares for the flock personally but also because he sends out more shepherds after his own heart to sustain his personal care. In this regard, we cannot forget Pastores Dabo Vobis, the apostolic exhortation by Pope Saint John Paul II when he invited us to reflect on vocation as God’s gift that needs our generous response. The Good Shepherd turns his disciples into good shepherds so that he remains in perpetual solidarity with his flock. In the first reading too, God vows to raise shepherds who will responsibly minister to His flock. 

The Art of Slowing Down: Jesus the Good Shepherd not only cares for the flock but also his disciples, who will continue the shepherding after him. By prioritizing rest for his disciples, Jesus is highly sensitive to human needs for rejuvenation. Through his gesture, Jesus the Good Shepherd seems to imply that pace cannot be synonymous with progress. Jesus’ emphasis on slowing down reminds me of the poem Leisure by the English poet William Henry Davies, who calls a life poor if there is no time to ‘stand and stare.’

Jesus is not just the Good Shepherd in person but in solidarity too, because he leaves behind apostles and disciples to carry forward his mission. 

Let us continue to be guided by the Good Shepherd, whose shepherding and solidarity will ensure our flourishing. 

Fr. Dhinakaran Savariyar