SUNDAY July 22nd
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 107
Is-Sittax-il
Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
JEREMIAH 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
Qari I
mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 23, 1-6
Dan jgħid il-Mulej: “Gwaj
għar-rgħajja li jeqirdu u jxerrdu l-merħla tal-mergħa tiegħi – oraklu
tal-Mulej. Għalhekk dan jgħid il-Mulej, Alla ta’ Iżrael, lir-rgħajja, li jirgħu
l-poplu tiegħi: Intom xerridtu n-nagħaġ tiegħi, gerrixtuhom u ma ħadtux aktar
ħsiebhom. Arawni, se naħseb fikom jien minħabba l-ħażen ta’ għemilkom – oraklu
tal-Mulej. U jiena niġbor il-fdal
tan-nagħaġ tiegħi mill-artijiet kollha li xerridthom fihom, u nreġġagħhom lura
lejn il-mergħa tagħhom, u jnisslu u joktru. U nqiegħed fuqhom rgħajja li
jirgħuhom, u ma jitbeżżgħux aktar, ma jitwaħħxux; u ħadd minnhom ma jonqos –
oraklu tal-Mulej. Araw, għad jasal żmien
– oraklu tal-Mulej – meta nqajjem lil David rimja ġusta, li jsaltan ta’ sultan,
u jmexxi bil-għaqal u jagħmel is-sewwa u l-ħaqq fil-pajjiż. Fi żmienu Ġuda jkun
salv, u Iżrael jgħammar fiż-żgur. U dan hu l-isem li jsejħulu: Il-Mulej
is-Sewwa tagħna”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm
PSALM 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
The LORD is
my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant
pastures he gives me repose;
beside
restful waters he leads me;
he
refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
He guides
me in right paths
for his
name's sake.
Even though
I walk in the dark valley
I fear no
evil; for you are at my side
with your
rod and your staff
that give
me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
You spread
the table before me
in the
sight of my foes;
you anoint
my head with oil;
my cup
overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
Only
goodness and kindness follow me
all the
days of my life;
and I shall
dwell in the house of the LORD
for years
to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is
nothing I shall want.
Salm Responsorjali
Salm 22 (23), 1-3a.3b-4.5.6
Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi,
xejn ma jonqosni;
f’mergħat kollha ħdura jqegħedni.
Ħdejn l-ilma, fejn nistrieħ,
jeħodni;
hemm hu jrejjaqni.
R/.
(1): Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi, xejn ma jonqosni
Imexxini fit-triq tas-sewwa
minħabba l-isem tiegħu.
Imqar jekk nimxi f’wied mudlam,
ma nibżax mill-ħsara, għax inti
miegħi.
Il-ħatar tiegħek u l-għasluġ
tiegħek,
huma jwennsuni.
R/.
(1): Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi, xejn ma jonqosni
Int tħejji mejda għalija
quddiem l-għedewwa tiegħi.
Biż-żejt tidlikli rasi,
u l-kalċi tiegħi tfawwarli.
R/.
(1): Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi, xejn ma jonqosni
Miegħi, iva, jimxu t-tjieba u
l-ħniena
il-jiem kollha ta’ ħajti
U ngħammar f’dar il-Mulej
sakemm indum ħaj!
R/. (1): Il-Mulej hu
r-ragħaj tiegħi, xejn ma jonqosni
EPHESIANS 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.
Qari II
mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 2, 13-18
Ħuti, imma issa, fi Kristu Ġesù,
intom, li darba kontu ’l bogħod, issa tqarribtu bis-saħħa tad-demm ta’ Kristu.
Kristu hu s-sliem tagħna, hu, li minna t-tnejn għamel poplu wieħed, billi
ġarraf il-ħajt li kien jifridna – il-mibegħda ta’ bejnietna – u ħassar
bis-sagrifiċċju ta’ ġismu l-Liġi bil-kmandamenti u l-preċetti tagħha.
Mit-tnejn, ried b’hekk joħloq bih innifsu bniedem wieħed, il-bniedem il-ġdid,
billi jagħmilhom paċi t-tnejn bejniethom u jħabbibhom it-tnejn ma’ Alla f’ġisem
wieħed permezz tas-salib li bih qered il-mibegħda ta’ bejniethom. Imbagħad ġie
jħabbar is-sliem, sliem lilkom li kontu fil-bogħod, u sliem lil dawk li kienu
fil-qrib. Permezz tiegħu, it-tnejn li aħna għandna bi Spirtu wieħed id-dħul
għal għand il-Missier. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Gospel
MARK 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.
Evanġelju
skont San Mark 6, 30-34
F’dak iż-żmien, l-appostli reġgħu
ġew ħdejn Ġesù u qalulu kull ma kienu għamlu u għallmu. U hu qalilhom: “Ejjew
miegħi intom biss weħidkom f’xi post imwarrab, u strieħu ftit”. Għax tassew,
kien hemm ħafna nies ġejjin u sejrin, u anqas żmien biex jieklu ma kienu
jħallulhom. Marru mela bid-dgħajsa weħidhom lejn post imwarrab, imma n-nies rawhom
sejrin; kienu ħafna dawk li għarfuhom, u telqu jiġru ’l hemm bil-mixi, nies
mill-ibliet kollha, u waslu qabilhom. Xħin niżel l-art mid-dgħajsa ra kotra
kbira ta’ nies u tħassarhom, għax kienu qishom nagħaġ bla ma għandhom ragħaj, u
qabad jgħallimhom ħafna ħwejjeġ. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
//////////////////////////////////
Reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
The themes of sheep and
shepherding flow though the Scripture readings for the Sixteenth Sunday in
Ordinary Time (Year B). The moving Gospel story of Jesus having compassion on
the crowds that were "like sheep without a shepherd" helps us to focus
on his ministry of teaching, reconciling, and shepherding.
Literature of antiquity
often referred to the person responsible for guiding a community as a shepherd.
Likewise, the Old Testament frequently described the Lord himself as the
shepherd of his people. Individuals invoked him as "my shepherd" (Psalm
23:1), and the community prayed to him as the "Shepherd of Israel"
(Psalm 80:1).
In the New Testament, the
image of the shepherd expresses great authority and responsibility. Nourishing
the flock means that the shepherd must protect them from heresy, ever ready to
defend the sheep from marauders. John tells us that Jesus himself proclaimed
that he fulfilled Israel
When Jesus withdraws with
his disciples to a deserted place to rest, he attracts a great number of people
to follow them. Toward this people of the new exodus Jesus is moved with pity;
he satisfies their spiritual hunger by teaching them many things, thus
gradually showing himself the faithful shepherd of a new Israel
When the Scriptures describe
Jesus as having pity on his flock because they were "like sheep without a
shepherd" in Mark 6:30-34, such an image is not original to Jesus in the
Gospels. The image is drawn from Ezekiel 34, where God unleashes his anger at
the shepherds of Israel
Sheep without a shepherd
Jesus' compassion is much
more than a fleeting or temporary feeling of regret or sorrow. It is rather a
deep anguish, a gut-wrenching type of anxiety and sorrow over the condition of
people. Jesus was describing the spiritual lives of those who were living
outside of the salvation so freely offered by God. Jesus felt gut-wrenching
anguish over the souls of these people who were facing spiritual starvation
without someone to feed them, teach them, and lead them to true spiritual
nourishment. They were in danger without a shepherd to protect them from false teaching.
Like sheep without the good shepherd, they were alone and vulnerable to the
attacks of the evil one, who roams around like a roaring lion, seeking someone
to devour.
"Like sheep without a
shepherd" is an accurate description of the spiritual lives of many
21st-century Christians in the world today. The expression describes many of
our contemporaries who are directionless, helpless, and very vulnerable to the
seductions and attacks of the evil one. "Sheep without a shepherd"
are more than just a little lost. They are more than just a little vulnerable.
They are facing danger and destruction.
Jesus' Compassion
Jesus saw the sick, and his
compassion healed them. He saw those possessed by demons, and his compassion
freed them. He told the story of a king who was owed a huge debt by his
servant. When the servant could not pay, the king ordered him thrown into
slavery, along with his family. When the servant pleaded for mercy the king
"had compassion" on him and forgave the huge debt.
Jesus spoke about a man
going down from Jerusalem to Jericho
Who can forget the
thought-provoking story of the younger son who took his inheritance and
squandered it in loose living? One day he "came to himself" and
returned to his father's house, not hoping to be restored as a son, but wanting
only to be hired as a servant. His father saw him coming and "had compassion"
on him. Before the son could even utter his speech of repentance, the father
placed on him a ring and robe and shoes and called for a royal feast.
The compassion of Jesus
heals and feeds, forgives huge debts, nurses hurt bodies back to health, and
welcomes home sinners, restoring them to a place of honour. Jesus will not let
his compassion stay with God or in heaven. He commands us: "Be
compassionate as your Father is compassionate."
Jesus did a lot more than
just feel compassion for those in today's Gospel story from Mark 6. His strong
emotion moved him to act, far beyond what any shepherd would be expected to do
for his sheep. The authentic shepherd, who models his or her life on Jesus,
must love the people entrusted to him and imitate Jesus.
Where will we find such compassion for ourselves?
From time to time, despite
our best intentions, we find ourselves among those in need, those who are like
sheep without a shepherd. At times we ask ourselves: "Where on earth can
we find this compassion to share with others?" I have learned that only in
solitude before God, faced only with ourselves, can we learn the compassion of
God. Perhaps it is not by accident that in the thick of his ministry and
burdened by the unrelenting needs and demands of the crowd, Jesus called his disciples
to join him in the desert: "Come away to a deserted place all by
yourselves and rest awhile."
Could it not be the same for
us, that away from the hustle and bustle of the everyday demands, we retreat in
order to wrestle with our own hearts before God? And there we learn mercy and
become in our day bearers of the compassion of Christ.
Leading people outOne of the
most powerful and moving reflections on the theme of compassionate shepherding
is found in Benedict XVI's inaugural homily of his Petrine Ministry on April
24, 2005:
"The pastor must be
inspired by Christ's holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that
so many people are living in the desert. And there are so many kinds of desert.
There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of
abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love.
"There is the desert of God
"The Church as a whole
and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the
desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God,
towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance."
This week may our prayer be
for awareness, compassion, and courage. Let us beg the Lord to make us more
aware of the vast and growing deserts in which our contemporaries, and perhaps
even we are living today. Let us ask the Lord to give us his compassion for
those who truly are sheep without shepherds. And let us pray for courage to
help lead our friends out of their deserts and into the places of life and
friendship with Christ, the Good Shepherd.
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