16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 21, 2024)
Jer 23.1-6; Eph 2.13-18; Mk 6.30-34
In today’s First Reading, we hear how Israel’s kings have failed in their responsibilities for the welfare of their people. The shepherds, charged to gather and protect, have instead “scattered God’s flock and driven them away” by not attending to them. They have abandoned their true ministry and failed to teach the people the true demands of the covenant and the right practice of religion. To avoid becoming like those kings, we must be careful to remain diligent in our work of preaching the Gospel.
When we are discouraged; if we feel burdened by our task; if we fear that our efforts are in vain, let us remember that Jesus is waiting for us, to comfort us and to let us rest. We are not His slaves; we are His friends. He cares for us, and for those to whom He sends us. When we are resting, exhausted from our work, the Lord continues to move the hearts of those who seek Him, because He sees “they [are] like sheep without a shepherd.”
Pro-Life Intercession
For those who govern us, that they may have the heart and mind of a good shepherd and keep the protection of human life as their first priority, we pray to the Lord ...