My take on the Sermon of Sunday, 19 July 2015, the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time; Blessed Peter ToRot
The theme of today is The Lord is my Shepherd. Among the psalms written by David, probably one of the most touching ones are Psalm 23 & 27. This is debatable as everyone will have his or her favorite. But for Fr. Minta it is these two that ranks tops.
The Lord is my shepherd & there is nothing I shall want. This is relevant even in the challenges of today. As we run around with the DumSor problems, the persecution of the Church ever than before by ISIS, Boko Haram, Alkayida, the gay lobby, the challenges we have with the Ghanaian economy. Still there is nothing we shall want, once we are plugged in the Lord and He is our Shepherd.
David had his own challenges, having to fight animals, taking care of sheep, the terrible weather in the desert. The prey that were there to feed on the sheep. So even as a young boy he had to fight wild beast. He risk his life for the sake of his sheep. They had no guns or any of our monitoring devices. There times the shepherds were eaten. But as a shepherd boy he was up to his task, for little things as sheep. So God will entrust bigger things to him. Kingship of Israel and from his lineage will come the King of Kings, Christ Himself.
In writing the Ps 23, so David had the context of the shepherd and with the rod and staff God gave him comfort. If the Lord is in charge of you and everything else, then goodness and mercy shall follow you. This is a great prayer of trust.
In Ps 27, a Psalm of someone who has had God save him from calamity. So he tells us that as Christians if we give ourselves to Christ we are covered. In Ps 27:4, David reechoes a great need to as he did in Ps 23:6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Dwelling and staying in God’s house literally being in Church, being socked in the Word and eating His Body & Drinking His Blood in total submission to His command to do that in His memorial is important to be without want and lacking nothing.
Ps 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
and set me high upon a rock.
6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the Lord.
7 Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
be merciful to me and answer me.
8 My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
Your face, Lord, I will seek.
9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the Lord will receive me.
11 Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
spouting malicious accusations.
13 I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
14 Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.
All the 3 readings of today compares the good and bad shepherd. Today most of us have turned away from Christ command to Peter, “feed my sheep” and have turned it to “feed on my sheep”. The 1st reading tells us, we should bear in mind that we share Christ Priesthood. “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.
Thank God that God assures us in the same book of Jeremiah that He will come Him self to take care of us “ 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”
As Catholic Christians we go through difficulty, but Ps 23 tells us even though I walk through the valley of death I fear no evil. We do not fear the evil of today’s world, because God is with us and we need to have absolute confidence in that assurance and do His will. All we need to do is Trust and Obey for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus but to Trust and Obey as the Hymnist tells us.
It takes a few seconds for dream to happen. It is compressed vision, though when we are in dreamland it seems forever. Even in sleep when we do not know what is happening God sends His angles to guard us, so we should cast our hopes on to Him. He will sort us out.
FIRST READING 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 shall dwell in security. This is the name they give him: “The LORD our justice.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM Psalm 23:1–3, 3–4, 5, 6 (1)
https://youtu.be/IMUQEI0CLQM
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
SECOND READING 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.
ALLELUIA John 10:27
Alleluia, alleluia.
My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.
Alleluia, alleluia.
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.
Priest:
The Gospel of the Lord.
All:
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Priest:
Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away.
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