Cycle B - Year I:  

18 July 2021: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 23:1-6

Second Reading:   Ephesians 2:13-18

Gospel:  Please Read  Mark 6:30-34 

"Our God of compassion!

The sudden death of former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III, or President PNoy for most people, put the nation in grief.  Many were in tears for the untimely demise of a great leader so young to die.

So, how do we measure an effective leadership?  For one, leadership is a combination of words, attitude and actions to serve those he leads, especially the most vulnerable.    Because leadership is really service.

In today's Gospel narrative, our Lord Jesus Christ Himself shows us by His own example a compassionate and caring leadership, which qualities a Christian leader must also have.

Recall that in last Sunday's Gospel, Jesus sent out the twelve apostles on their first solo mission, meaning to be on their own without Jesus, to preach and bring the Good News to people.  This  Sunday's Gospel tells us about the return of the twelve from their first missionary experience. They came back and reported to Jesus what they have done and taught.

Now Jesus knew the twelve apostles were tired and exhausted and He wanted them to rest for a while.  This shows that our Lord is not only concerned with the missionary work He gave to His disciples but also He wanted to be sure they have their time to rest and regain their energy. So 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 people and do not push  them to the extreme. So then the apostles take a boat to deserted place to rest.

Now, Jesus goes with His disciples to rest with them as well.  But then the people followed them there so they cannot rest.  St. 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)  Jesus forgets His own desire to rest to minister to the needs of people following Him.

The Gospel passage reveals the intensity of our Lord's public ministry.  Jesus and His disciples were kept busy that they did not have time to rest and to eat.  Even so,  notice our Lord's response. He was not annoyed, but compassionate toward the spiritual needs of the people.  For Jesus sees that they are hungry for the Word of God, and so He preaches to them.

This example of our Lord Jesus Christ reminds us that as Christians we should at times be ready to sacrifice our time and even our rest in the service of the Gospel, that we ought to be accessible to those who need us as it is humanly possible.  The Lord gives us a perfect image of a true servant-leader in Himself as the Good Shepherd.

Now, do we find such type of leader in our national life today, in the Church, within our local community, and even in our own family?

The other point in our reflection is to realize that we must never stop seeking at our Lord Jesus Christ, even when we think He is 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 in today's Gospel incident.  Because when we are in great need of Him, it opens up the compassionate heart of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Good Shepherd. We can always be sure, that Jesus is our compassionate Lord.

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!