Cycle B - Year I:

19 July 2015: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Liturgical color: Green)

Mark 6:30-34


The Lord cares for this people.


Do you remember, or come across this memorable quote:

"It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important."?

It comes from the book "The Little Prince", such a simple, elementary book that can teach us important life lessons.

The romantic words give us so much insight on life. For indeed what makes someone or something so important to you is the time you've spent on the person or something... adoring, admiring, touching the person, or something. And so they're special because of the time you've spent (or wasted) on them.

Spending precious time on someone, to care, to minister,  may also be a measure of leadership. Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself will show us by His own example what qualities a Christian leader must have.
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The Apostles came back to Jesus quite tired from their first mission. They reported to Jesus what they have done and taught. Jesus told them to "come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." By this Jesus is showing us that a leader must also be mindful of the physical limitations of his people and doesn't push them to the extreme. So they take a boat to a deserted place to rest.

But the people followed them there. Mark writes that when Jesus saw the large crowd "his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he began to teach them many things." (Mk 6:34)

The Gospel passage reveals the intensity of our Lord's public ministry. Jesus and his disciples were so

busy that they didn't even have time to rest and to eat. Even so, notice our Lord's response. Rather than be annoyed, he is compassionate toward the spiritual needs of the people. Jesus sees that they are hungry for the Word of God, and so he preaches to them.

In other words, although he needs to rest too, our Lord still finds time to care and minister to his people as a good shepherd cares for his flock.

The example of our Lord clearly reminds us that the Christian should at times be ready to sacrifice his time and rest in the service of the Gospel, that he ought to be accessible to those who need his help as much as it is possible. Do we find this type of leaders in our national life, in the Church, within our community, and even in our very own family? The Lord gives us the perfect image of a true leader in himself as the Good Shepherd.

The second point in our reflection is to realize that we must never stop seeking at Jesus, even when he seems so far away or have departed from us. We must imitate the thirst for God's Word by the big crowd that followed our Lord. Because our great need opens up the compassionate heart of Jesus, our Lord and Good Shepherd. We can be sure on that!

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God


Ad Jesum per Mariam!