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| “Sermon on the Mount” (Detail) by Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-82 |
Reading 1: 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
This is the name they give
him:
"The LORD our
justice."
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Commentary on Jer 23:1-6
This passage is part of the “Booklet on Kings”. In it the prophet first chastises the leaders
that lead the people falsely; resulting in the exile they now endure. He then exhorts the leaders of those exiled
to rule with justice with special attention to the poor. The last two verses of
this passage were probably written during the exile, looking forward to the
return to the land. We see in this passage the Prophet Jeremiah predicting the
coming of the Messiah who will rule with justice for all time.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I
shall want.
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.
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Commentary on Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
Psalm 23 is one
of the most familiar in the entire psalter. “God's loving care for the psalmist
is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Psalm
23:1-4) and a host's
generosity toward a guest (Psalm
23:5-6). The imagery of
both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Isaiah
40:11; 49:10; Jeremiah
31:10).” [4] While
the theme of Shepherd is mentioned in the first strophe, the psalm really
speaks to the peace given to those who follow the Lord and place their trust in
HIm, even into the “dark valley”.
The reference in the third strophe above “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes” “occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).”[5]
The reference in the third strophe above “You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes” “occurs in an exodus context in Psalm 78:19. As my enemies watch: my enemies see that I am God's friend and guest. Oil: a perfumed ointment made from olive oil, used especially at banquets (Psalm 104:15; Matthew 26:7; Luke 7:37, 46; John 12:2).”[5]
CCC: Ps
23:5 1293
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Reading II: 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.
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Commentary on Eph 2:13-18
In the first half of the
second chapter of St. Paul
“The elaborate imagery
here combines pictures of Christ as our peace (Isaiah 9:5), his crucifixion, the ending of the
Mosaic law (cf Colossians 2:14), reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-21), and the
destruction of the dividing wall such as kept people from God in the temple or
a barrier in the heavens.”[6]
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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.
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Commentary on Mk 6:30-34
This passage from St. Mark’s
Gospel continues the story of the disciples as they return from being sent, and
give Jesus a report of their efforts.
Now we hear the disciples called “Apostles” for the first time being gathered
to give an account of what they had accomplished. They will not assume this formal title until
after Pentecost but St. Mark uses it here perhaps because they have now become
Christ’s emissaries, not just his students.
They go off to a
deserted place to rest but are followed by a large crowd, which means, since
they were in a boat, they did not sail far from shore since the crowd knew
where they were putting in and were there to meet them. The Lord looked at this new Exodus and saw
them as sheep without a shepherd – He began to teach them.
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Reflection:
Jesus, when he walked among
us was clearly a phenomenon grasped by high and low alike. They followed him even when he took to a
boat. Did the disciples he had sent out
contribute to his obvious fame?
Scripture does not say other than they (his friends) were elated with
what they were able to accomplish. What
is clear is that a very large crowd needed to follow him. To put this into modern terms it would be
like having a world cup soccer game or the world series of baseball take place
near where we live – people who did not normally even necessarily follow the
sport would take off from work get their families and attend. Perhaps that is not the best analogy by the
impact is probably close to what Jesus meant to this region – given the size of
crowds that gathered.
What were they hoping to
hear? Jesus, St. Mark tells us, looked
on them with pity. They were he said “like sheep without a shepherd.”
Here is a short meditation:
Imagine for a moment you were
there, among that crowd. There would be
people of all walks of life, some with families, some alone. No one knew exactly where this boat they were
following was going to come in but there would be an urgency about what this teacher
was going to say.
When the boat lands we look
around and see that it is not near any town or village. The huge crowds of people with us are
gathered around this teacher and his friends.
He walks up onto a hill and we all sit down around him, seeing that he
is going to speak.
His voice comes to us in
soothing tones. Even though he does not
have a PA system he is not shouting to be heard. He speaks with a surreal sense of calm, words
that we desperately need to hear. What
does he say to us? What message does he
speak that we so urgently need to hear?
Does he caution us to beware
of the people we are following in our lives?
Have we been listening to false teachers who would bring us down paths
that lead away from him; teachers like those the Prophet Jeremiah waned about?
Does he speak words of unity
and peace as St.
Paul
Regardless of what he tells
us, it resonates in our hearts. Like the
beatitudes that were spoken from just such a place, the Lord gives us words
that we need to hear. All we need to do is
listen with our hearts and we will find the peace he offers and the life hoped
for.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The Picture is “Sermon on the Mount” (Detail) by Cosimo Rosselli, 1481-82
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB Footnote on Psalm 23
[5]
ibid
[6]
See NAB Footnote on Ephesians 2:14-16
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