Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34
One of the strongest emotions, (if not the most powerful emotion), is fear. A common metaphor for fear is the ‘wolf at the door.’ There are many things we fear. We may fear a loss of a loved one, loss of our job, loss of home, and loss of health for others or ourselves. The wolf at the door may be unmanageable debt, loss of security from enemy’s abroad, or crime at home. When we feel threatened by loss or danger, we may seek protection. Perhaps you have installed a security system in your home, or taken a self-defense course, or purchased a handgun.
One of the driving forces in political campaigns is in the form of how one candidate or the other will provide for our security. Their promises may be in the form of more law and order, longer jail sentences, a stronger military, or strengthening border protection. Another candidate may promise greater security through more significant efforts in diplomacy, rehabilitation of those incarcerated, a better social safety net and universal health care. These are all issues we will struggle with and debate in the next three-plus months, and this is a good thing. What will guide our decisions, and whom we elect will impact the future for years to come. You may want to consult the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ guidance in the choices we make as faithful citizens. You can go to this website for their sage advice: http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/
We need to pray for whomever we elect and we need to pray for the shepherds of our Church, our bishops, and the leaders of all religious communities. Our prayer is that our leaders, both secular and religious, will be persons dedicated to justice, peace, and mercy. In our reading from Jeremiah, the name of the true shepherd is “The Lord our justice.” (Jeremiah 23:6) The Lord sees all people as His flock, and the children of God will find security in His pasture. The false shepherds have not brought about unity; instead they have misled, divided, and scattered the flock. They have not truly cared for those in their charge; they have not treated them with dignity. The Lord will hear the cries of his children and will punish the evil deeds of the false shepherds.
As Paul relates in his letter to the Ephesians, Jesus broke down the dividing wall, through his flesh, abolishing the law with its legal claims, creating in himself one person in place of many. (CF Ephesians 2:14-15) This principle is espoused on our currency E Pluribus Unum (Latin for “Out of Many One”). In his address to the Joint Session of Congress in 2015, Pope Francis invited the American people to build bridges to meet the great challenges of our day. Pope Francis named the “structures” that perpetuate conflict and tied those structures to the simple question of the well being of the individual.
Divisions and the conflicts they spawn are fueled by bad loans to bad people, by a financial system that allows criminals to operate in secret and by the instability caused by debt, tax, and trade policies that push millions into poverty. Those are the policies we have to address if we care for the sheep of His flock. Those are the policies we need to build a national consensus around.
Will we hear and respond to the cries of the poor in our day? Will we be moved by pity at the sight of the vast crowd? Will we be ready shepherds to guide the flock to greener pastures? People are coming and going in significant numbers, and they are lost. Will we flee and care only for our own needs or will we, like the good shepherd, lay down our lives for the sheep? This is a question each of us needs to ask ourselves. We need to look at the challenge before each of us and to respond according to our deepest beliefs.
We would do well to listen carefully to the words of the 23rd Psalm:
A Psalm of David.
I
The LORD is my shepherd;
there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
he restores my soul.
He guides me along right paths
for the sake of his name.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
II
You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Indeed, goodness and mercy will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the LORD
for endless days.
Are you ready to care for your brothers and sisters, as you have been cared for?
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