Sixteenth Sunday in Oridinary Time

"His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd"

- Mark 6:34

There is a story of an Irish plumber who wins a free trip to America because he was a winner in the Irish sweepstakes. Once in America his tour guide takes him to Niagara Falls. The Irish plumber looks at the falls and turns to the tour guide and says, "I think I can fix this!"

All of us, at one time or another, have looked at our world, not as a place God created, but only as a world broken and in need of fixing. In today's first reading from the book of Jeremiah, the bad shepherds probably began their ministry with good intentions, but at some point they decided to play God rather then lead people to God. They were the leaders that decided who was worthy, and who was unworthy to be lead. In a desire to follow their own agendas they mislead the people...and when it came to the poor, they just did not care.

As a result, Israel ends up in exile. God now says to those shepherds through the prophet Jeremiah, "You're fired!" God tells those who failed to lead properly, 'I'll do the shepherding! I'll go into Babylon and get my people myself.' Historians are still scratching their heads over how the Israelites simply walked out of Babylon without the equivalent of a single shot being fired.

For anyone appointed as shepherd in the church, it is crucial to remember who, ultimately, is the chief shepherd. In today's gospel reading we see Jesus wanting to give rest to the apostles. Because of the crowds, that becomes impossible. Jesus doesn't lose his cool. He doesn't panic because the need for rest cannot be met immediately. Nor does he leave it to his disciples to drive away the people because they are a nuisances. Instead, as the good shepherd, he puts his own agenda aside for the time being, and ministers to the people because his heart was moved with compassion. This is the opposite response of people who want to be leaders for the sake of having power. Thomas Merton in his book, The Nonviolent Alternative states, "Adolf Hitler, viewing the terrible conflagration of Warsaw when it had been Bombed by the Luftwaffe, wept and said, 'How wicked those people were to make me do this to them!"

Many of us have situations we would like to fix in life. Some of us are facing financial hardships. Others are depressed because of job loss. Maybe we are tired because of strained family relations, or the realization that even with our best intentions, we have made a bad situation worse.

The good shepherd wants to lead us out of the dark valley, because without the Lord, we will not pass through that valley, we will end up living in it - thinking, 'this is what I deserve!' Christ wants to be our good shepherd. Allowing Him to be so is simple ; simple a child can do it, and as Jesus said, 'only a child can do it.' Not so easy though for us stubborn lone rangers.

Surrender does not come naturally for any of us. We would rather fight for something we don't even want then wait and receive what Christ has prepared for us. It is like the story of a man hanging by the end of a robe, dangling about the rocks and raging waters below. He looks up to heaven and says, "If there is anyone up there...please help me!" Out of the heavens he hears a voice which thunders, "LET GO!" The man looks down again at the rocks and raging water, and looking back to heaven says, "Would there be anyone else up there I could speak with?"

When we allow Christ to be our shepherd it does not guarantee life will be any easier. However, we will have the promise that no matter what we go through in life, Christ will never leave us or abandon us to face our trials alone.

This is the peace the world cannot give. It is a peace our good shepherd wants to give us if we are willing to receive it and be led.