Last two Sundays Jesus was rebuffed by His people and could not minister to them. Last Sunday He sent His apostles out after His rejection.

Today, they returned to give account of their stewardship. Hence, we are all accountable, no one lives for him/herself solely. God created us for a purpose, we shall be accountable to Him later.

Never say you are the head of the home, no one questions your where about, you are accountable to your wife and children and vice versa. I am accountable to my Local Ordinary, Dean and to some extent my parishioners. Our leaders are accountable to us, we voted them into office. 

 

The word SHEPHERD cuts across all the readings of today. The First reading bemourns the weakness of the human shepherds who have led to the destruction and scattering of the flock and promised to raise a true and genuine shepherd "THE LORD OUR INTERGRITY".

In the second reading St Paul links this expected shepherd to Jesus (the peace between us) that unites us all.

Thus, the Responsorial Psalm and the Gospel give us the Characteristics of this true shepherd. 

 

1. He is Compationate: Compassion is love in action; your pain in my heart. a) Jesus felt sorry for the apostles requesting them to rest from work. Rest is essential to rejuvenate us. Don't work to the detriment of your well-being.

The military speaks of retreat to nurse wounds, bury the dead, fill arsenal, service ammunition and retrategise. Spiritually and psychologically an unexamined life is not worth living.

Any minister who is too busy to pray is busier than what God asked him to do, you can't do the work of God and neglect the God of the work. We feel a sense of respite and reenergised in His presence in the tabernacle or confesioner.

He says "come to me all you who labour and over burdened and I will give you rest" (Mtt 11:28-30). When He was weary and weighed down at the Garden of Gethsemane (Mtt 26) He prayed.

Unlike earthly leaders who over burden workers (casual), He was considerate and humane. b) He felt pity for the crowd who were like sheep without a shepherd. He was available and sought their well being before His.

 

2. He Guides: St Peter in 1Pt 2:25 calls Jesus the Shepherd and overseer of our souls. He says He is the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:6). Agba kiwa loja ki ori omotuntun wo.

Some human shepherds have misled us, some politicians feed on our cultural and religious diverty (disunity) to further their nest.

Let us run to the Way for Prov 21:26 says, “anyone who strays from the path of understanding will soon end in the land of the dead.”

 

3. He Feeds: He notes that He is the living bread that came down from heaven (Jn 6:51), He who comes to Him shall never hunger.

He who believes in Him shall never thirst (Jn 6:35), He is the spring of living water. Men have built leaking cisterns that cannot hold water (Jer 2:13). Ps 23, the responsorial psalm says it all (leads us beside the spring of living water...e shall not want).

 

4. He Protects: Even when we walk through the shadows of death we shall fear no evil. He is our solace and shield. A true shepherd protects His flock from ravaging wolves, but some of our leaders become the wolves that strip us bare.

The institutions that suppose to protect us sometimes oppress us. Blood shed everywhere that human life is no longer valued.

 

Let us be accountable for what is placed in our care and judiciously (dutifully) execute them. For we will all give account when required. Adapting the song of African China, “if you be fr, fada well well, if you be Catechist, Catechist well well, if you be lay reader, read well well, if you be church warden… “ 

 

God make us shepherds after your footsteps.

Happy New Week! 

Shalom!

Written by: Fr. Vincent Anuniru