First reading: Jer. 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.”

Second reading: Eph. 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.

Gospel: Mk. 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.

In other words

by Fr. Sisoy Cellan, SVD (Zamboanga Sibugay District, Philippines)

It was such a cold, windy, and rainy night when the phone rang in the doctor’s house. “It’s my wife,” a voice from the other end of the line said. “She needs a doctor right away.”

“Could you come and get me?” asked the physician. “My car is being repaired.”

“What? Go out on a night like this?” came the man’s reply.

We can be guilty of the same thing—not wanting to do our part while expecting someone to do our bidding. Our prayers might say it all. Pushed to the wall, our sense of helplessness revs up to full throttle as we storm the heavens for intervention.

But then we could ask: When was the last time we went out of our way and did something truly special for the Lord?

The people in today’s Gospel are at it again—chasing Jesus, demanding more from him, squeezing out every drop of favor they could get from him, thereby giving him and the disciples no respite even for a day.

We remember the preceding section of today’s Gospel which narrates Jesus’ commissioning of the disciples. In pairs he sent them and gave them instructions to take nothing for the journey. In today’s Gospel, they are reporting back to the Master. They had done well, having helped many people, cured the sick, and preached the gospel. And so, the Lord invites them to “come away to a deserted place and rest for a while.” It was a treat, a reward for job-well-done, a recognition for their efforts. They were supposed to have a break in order to recharge their spiritual batteries. But the needy people were following them everywhere. They were too persistent, too desperate, too many.

We must understand the predicament of these people. They found the Messiah, and they took him as the only recourse out of misery. Thus, they sought him. But, was it really the Lord they were seeking?

Another story tells of a man who had nothing in life until God gave him ten apples. The first three apples were for him to eat, the second three to trade for shelter, the third three to swap with clothing, and the last apple to be given back to God as a sign of gratitude for the other nine. The man ate the first three apples, and made use of the six as he was told. The tenth apple, however, seemed bigger and juicier than the rest. Saying that God did not really need it because he had all the apples in the world, he ate it as well.

It is not that the people in today’s Gospel refused to give anything back to the Lord. Nothing of that sort was mentioned by Mark. But the Gospel indicated that the people, in their desperation to get whatever they could, no longer cared about what Jesus and his disciples needed. The people followed him relentlessly and made no let-up in their pursuit of him.

Naturally, we sympathize with the Lord, even when we could be doing the same thing. We badger him with frantic calls for help. Of course, we are not out of bounds when we do this because he has encouraged us when he said, “Come to me all you who find life burdensome and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11:28).

But here is the thing: It is not those who keep on asking from him that are truly trusting; it is rather those who give back to him and share God’s blessing with others that display a deeper faith, a faith that leans on God and not on the things he gives us. 

This is what the people missed out. They were seeking healing, not the Healer. They valued the bread more than the Baker. They wanted Jesus as a means to an end, an accidental instrument they could use to fulfill their worldly wishes. Are we really different from them?

We are not without help. It upsets the Lord to see us feeling helpless as if we are alone because truly we are not. God resides in our fragility and dwells in our pains. He is always near regardless of where we are, especially when we seek him first above all things.