"Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while." (Mk 6:31)
READING OF THE DAY
First reading from the Book of Jeremiah
Jer 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,
says the LORD.
Therefore, thus says the LORD, the God of Israel,
against the shepherds who shepherd my people:
You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.
You have not cared for them,
but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
from all the lands to which I have driven them
and bring them back to their meadow;
there they shall increase and multiply.
I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them
so that they need no longer fear and tremble;
and none shall be missing, says the LORD.
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
as king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
"The LORD our justice."
Second reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians
Eph 2:13-18
Brothers and sisters:
In Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, he who made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Mark
Mk 6:30-34
The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.
When he disembarked and saw the vast 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.
SUNDAY OF THE SIXTEENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME - Mk 6:30-34
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear People of God,
In God's Word today, God the Father teaches all humanity that: The only Son of God the Father is Jesus Christ, the true son of God. He is a true person.
God's love and mercy spreads to all humanity. He came down to care for, love, preserve, and protect mankind from the imprisonment of Satan. Because Satan is an evil creature, they find every way to lead people away from God, living in their sins.
God the Father lovingly instructs His shepherds: to live in love and be merciful like God the Father. Then they will be able to protect the sheep that God the Father entrusts to them and will expel Satan from the flock. If the shepherds cannot do these things, they will become people who oppose God the Father's will and disobey God the Father's teachings.
These are the loving words of God the Father calling His shepherds: They should imitate the love of God the Father through the real life of His only Son, Jesus Christ. He sacrificed Himself to die, so that through that death and resurrection, He would bring eternal life to mankind. There is no other way to protect God's flock, to lead the flock to happiness and peace in the loving arms of God the Father, which is through Jesus Christ, the Father's beloved son.
Through the prophet Jeremiah's prophecy today, God the Father warns His shepherds that: if they do not do exactly what God the Father has taught them, as shepherds, they must protect the flock from Satan's captivity; is to live with justice, charity, love, and mercy like God the Father is merciful. Otherwise, when they leave this life, standing before the justice of God the Father, they will have to pay back to the last penny, for all the actions of lack of charity, lack of love, and lack of mercy that they have done on this earth.
Therefore, God the Father urgently calls His shepherds to love and care for the flock that God the Father has entrusted to them. Sacrificing themselves to protect His flock from Satan's captivity; Opening their hearts to feel compassion like Jesus Christ had compassion for His children, compassion for the sheep without a shepherd. To do that, God the Father wants shepherds as well as everyone in this world: to know how to give up their selfish ego, to know how to live humbly, humble themselves, and submit to the will of God the Father, worship Him, fear Him and abandon the sinful path. Only then can we live to please God the Father and carry out His commandments.
God the Father's command is to practice His teachings through the example of Jesus Christ who sacrificed His life to redeem humanity. Shepherds must also sacrifice themselves to take care of the flock, to protect the flock from evil wolves, which means they must practice justice, charity, love, and forgiveness, and live truly, holy lives before God the Father and before His flock, then Satan will lose, Satan will let souls go.
In today's Word of God, God the Father also calls all His flock: to return to God the Father, to abandon the path of sin, walk in the light of God's Word, receive the Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ through the mediation of the shepherds of God the Father.
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