16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

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

In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah rebukes the leaders of his time for thinking more of their own interests and not of their people. “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock . . . you have driven them away . . . you have not cared for them” (23:1-2). God promises to gather back his sheep and to give them shepherds who will take care of them so that they no longer have to worry and to live in fear.

The gospel reading illustrates the fulfillment of God’s pledge of providing good shepherds for his people. Jesus, the Good Shepherd himself, leads a group of disciples who give their life for the service of the flock. The Lord’s shepherds work hard and often forget to eat and rest due to their great dedication to the task of shepherding. Jesus has to remind them that rest is needed for the continued success of their mission. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”

The Lord makes clear to his disciples that they are not in for a quick mission but for a long, demanding task. In order to persevere and succeed, they have to take care of themselves, too. Jesus considers his shepherds as important as his flock. This kind of concern for co-workers is worth emulating. It reminds us that success must not to be attained at the expense of the individual well-being of workers.

Seeing the crowds who keep on following him, Jesus feels deep compassion for them because they are like sheep without a shepherd. Sheep basically are timid, meek and defenseless animals. Without a shepherd, the sheep can hardly survive. Jesus, in a way, perceives the needs of people for guidance and protection. He and his disciples have to work hard in order to provide life and direction for the flock.

It is wrong to think of priests as the only shepherds of the Church. In fact, every disciple of Jesus is, by virtue of baptism, a shepherd. The priest is a shepherd to the parishioners, and so is the teacher to the students, the employer to the employees, the military officer to the cadets, the parent to the children, and the older child to the younger siblings. As shepherds, God expects us to give unconditional service to those entrusted to our care, to take care of our co-shepherds, and always to feel compassion upon seeing the unmet needs of people.

A little girl said to her friends, “My father is the best preacher in our village.”

“Your father is not a minister. He is a policeman, isn’t he?” the friends asked her.

“You’re right. Dad is a policeman and he preaches to us by his good examples!” said the girl.