Homily Sixteenth
Sunday Year B: Fr. Michael Ufok Udoekpo
- Jer 23:1-6;
- Ps 23:1-6;
- Eph 2:13-18
- Mark 6:30-34
The
Passion and Compassion of A Shepherd-King: An Imitation
I know, ordinarily everyone here today would
have an opinion about who is a good father. Or who is a good mother, brother and
friend. We would have an opinion about what a good leader, or captain of soccer
or football team should look like. Or what responsibility is expected of our
teachers, pastors, priests, parents, a king, a major, a president, governor, a
religious, managers, directors, champions, leaders of any kind, call them good
shepherds. Some would say they are expected to be kind, truthful, peaceful,
prophetic, compassionate, listening, collegial, approachable, consultative,
synodal, caring, providing, protective, humble, and exemplary in virtues, even in
moments of trials!
Using the metaphor
of a Good Shepherd, scripture readings today, spiritually and pastorally speak
to these expectations. In the first reading, Jeremiah, aware of Abrahamic, Mosaic,
Davidic and messianic traditions reminds Israel’s kings and leaders of his time
of their weakness and failure to live up to the expectation of good leaders -
who like ordinary and natural Bedouin – shepherds were expected in ancient near
east to be courageous, caring, redeeming, selfless, faithful, tender hearted,
and protective of their flocks. They lead them to the fields and wadis for food
and water. They love and know each them. They are communicative and familiar
with one another. Their flocks obey and
listen to the sign- language and directives of their master-- good shepherds,
who care, love, feed and fight for them all!
It was not always the case for Israel’s kings,
and leaders. Most of them did the opposite.
In spite of their failures, Jeremiah prophesied hope that would be fulfilled in
Christ, the Messiah, and savior of the world. This saving Christ, the Good
Shepherd is the one preached by Paul in his Epistle to the Romans (cf. Roman
9-11), particularly in Ephesians 2, today’s second reading. Each of us, everyone,
Jews and Gentiles, all believers, far and near Paul says are saved by grace
through faith. Through Christ all the flocks
have access in one Spirit to the Father (Eph 2:13-118).
Similarly
in today’s Gospel Mark presents the true King of the Jews as the serving and
suffering shepherd of messianic traditions. Mark tells us that when Jesus
landed in a deserted place, where he was seeking for rest, he saw a large crowd
descending on him, he had compassion and pity on them, feeding them, for they
were like sheep without shepherd; he also began to teach them many things( Mark
6:30-34).
Clearly Marks challenges us to see Jesus as
God’s Son who reveal himself to the poor, to us, his flock as God his Father
would have revealed himself to the Israelites of old in the desert(eremos/bamidbar/wilderness),
as read in the books of Exodus and Numbers.
The Jesus of Mark feeds the crowd as YHWH would have fed the stranded
Israelites in the deserts. He cares for them. He truly loves them as truly good
natural shepherds-Bedouin would to their loving sheep, in the wilderness and
desert of the ancient near east.
The wilderness as
we read in the Book of Deuteronomy was also a place where God taught his people
compassion especially of how to feed one another. In Mark besides feeding the
crowd, Christ our Messiah teaches us his disciples many things.
Let us figure this out ourselves? Let us make
this personal! What have we learned from Jesus, the Good Shepherd, prophesied by
Jeremiah 23, Ezekiel 34 (cf. John 10:10), chanted in psalm 23, and preached by
Paul all the way, from the eastern Mediterranean to the west- heading to Spain,
in today’s scriptures? I believe among other things, he teaches us how to love
everyone, Jews and Gentiles, how to be compassionate, how to lead, how to
father; how to boss, how to direct, how to parent our children, with courage,
how to be in-charge, how to function with the passion and compassion of a
shepherd- king in our own ways, with a sense of responsibility, how to reach
out to the poor; how to be prophetic, how to smell our sheep and how to feed
our neighbors with love, peace, joy and mercy!
Reflections
Questions;
- In our various places of work and responsibility can we identify with the compassionate Jesus of today’s Mark’s gospel?
- As parents and leaders how often do we imitate Christ’s style of leadership and human relationship?
- What prevents us from leading with Christ-like, and good shepherd-like passion and compassion?
