OUR TIME IS IN NEED OF COMPASSIONATE SHEPHERDS

 

Homily for the 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

Fr. Ugochukwu Ugwoke (Schoenstatt Fathers)

Scriptural Texts: Jeremiah 23:1-6, Ephesians 2:13-18, Mark 6:30-34

 

The image of a shepherd occurs both in the New and Old Testaments. Literally, a shepherd is one who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock. But in figurative terms, a shepherd may refer to one who watches over, looks after, or guides someone. Going by this latter understanding, each of us therefore is a shepherd in our own ranks. As parents, we are shepherds over the family and children that God has blessed us with. As leaders and heads, both secular and religious, we are shepherds over those we swore to lead and protect. In this period when many shepherds have becomes wolves, the readings of today invite us to make an honest assessment of how we are discharging our duties as shepherds.

In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah condemns in strong terms, the leaders of his time (Israel’s shepherds- priests, prophets and kings), who were leading to ruins, the sheep that God had entrusted to their care. Instead of leading the sheep to a good pasture, the shepherds were misleading them. Instead of gathering the sheep together, they were scattering them and driving them away. Instead of feeding the sheep, the shepherds were feeding from the sheep. As such, Jeremiah pronounces judgment upon them and promised them that the Lord will take care to punish them because of their evil deeds (Jeremiah. 23:1-2).

Jeremiah uses the shepherd-imagery to show us that God will raise up a righteous king from the house of David; one who will truly be a shepherd of his people; who will rule wisely and govern the land with justice and righteousness unlike the shepherds of old. The gospel reading of today tells us that Jesus is the future shepherd that Jeremiah promised in the first reading; the one who will lead the new people of God. When Jesus saw the crowd that came running after him, he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd and he began to teach them many things (Mark 6:33-34).

As shepherds, how are we guarding the flock under our watch? Are we gathering or are we scattering? Are we tending or are we maiming? Are we leading or are we misleading? In our time when many shepherds exploit, abuse, maltreat and take advantage of those under their care, the readings of today enjoin us as shepherds to take these instructions to heart: Never to mislead those we are meant to guide; never to scatter those we are meant to gather; not to exploit or abuse those we are meant to tend or look after; and not to be silent while those we swore to protect are being killed and oppressed. Like Jesus, we are called to have compassion on the sheep entrusted to our care. To have compassion is to feel the pain of the other and to be sensitive to the need of others. Jesus, the Good Shepherd knew and felt the pain of his tired apostles and the need of the dejected crowd. As leaders and heads, we should have deep concerns for those we are leading and make their good more important than ours.

The action of Jesus in the gospel reading teaches us that to be a shepherd is to go out of our way to ensure that the sheep that depend on us for guidance and sustenance are well taken care of. Jesus abandoned his own need of rest and comfort in order to attend to the needs of the flock that followed him across the sea (Mark 6:34). Let us also abandon ourselves and our cares in the service of the flock. As the psalmist assures us, there is always one shepherd who does not fail the flock- the Lord. The Lord is our shepherd who takes us to fresh green pasture (Psalm 23). The Lord is the guardian of our souls. May Christ shepherd us and may we learn from Christ how to be faithful and loving shepherds. Amen.