SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
19 JULY 2015
Jesus is teaching the apostles how to do
healthy ministry. He had sent them out
to do the work he had been doing:
expelling demons, healing the sick, and proclaiming the message that the
Kingdom of God had arrived. When they
return, they gather around Jesus to report on all they had done and
taught. But the joy generated by their
accomplishments is tempered by some very bad news. Herod had executed John the Baptist. The one who had preached repentance, pointed
out Jesus as the Lamb of God, and baptized him in the Jordan River, is
dead. His death brings sorrow and
distress for them. It also brought a
sense of gloom that what happened to John the Baptist could happen to any of
them, when they choose to speak the truth.
Jesus responds by inviting them to
go away by themselves to a deserted place to rest. At that deserted place, they would not only
get some much needed physical rest. In
their solitude, Jesus can teach them and help them reflect on everything that
had happened and make sense of it all.
In this solitude and reflection, they can receive a spiritual
refilling. Jesus wants to teach them
that healthy ministry involves hard work with multitudes of people. It also involves stepping back and taking
time to listen to the Word and be renewed.
However, this spiritual refilling
takes a back seat to the needs of people.
The people of Galilee had been considered to be of little value to the
religious authorities of Jerusalem. They
are hungering for direction, like sheep without a shepherd. They crave the teachings of Jesus so much
that they rush to the other side of the lake to “cut him off at the pass”. Even though Jesus and the apostles are
exhausted, Jesus has pity on them. His
pity is a compassion which is born out of sorrow for their suffering. So, he sets aside his own needs and the
legitimate needs of the apostles to rest, and teaches them.
There are two lessons for all of us
who hear God’s Word today. The first
lesson is for us who are called to minister in the Church. Whether we are ordained, serve as lay ministers
on staff, or as lay ministers in any capacity, we are called to serve the needs
of the parish. In order to be effective,
we must set aside time for solitude and prayer, allowing the Lord to refresh
our spirits. However, the needs of the
parish come first. We might feel spent
after celebrating so many funerals. But,
if someone else is near death, we must set aside any problems in our personal
lives, and serve their needs. That is
why Jeremiah is so critical of the religious leaders of his time. They were so busy taking care of their own
needs that they ignored the needs of their people. Like sheep, they were scattered and hauled
into exile.
The second lesson is for all who are
disciples of the Lord. Rejected by
people of his home town, Jesus knows that the vast majority of the people
living in the northern part of the Sea of Galilee understand that he can give
them direction. They realize that they
have needs which only Jesus and his apostles can give. The same is true of us. We do not have all the answers. In gathering here today to hear the Word of
God, we are acknowledging that we need guidance and direction. We admit that we are like sheep, not being
able to guide ourselves. We need the
care of the Good Shepherd, and of those who minister in his name, to refresh
our souls.
After Jesus teaches this vast crowd of 5,000 people, he
will take five loaves and two fish and feed them all. Beginning next Sunday, we will depart from
the Gospel of Mark and listen for five Sundays to the Gospel of John, helping
us to understand how the Lord feeds us with his Body and Blood in the
Eucharist. But for now, we focus on the
Liturgy of the Word. The Lord feeds us
with his Word, challenging us to be good and healthy ministers. The Lord feeds us with his Word, especially
when we are honest enough to know that we are needy people.
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