Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34:
Good Morning –
Today’s
readings about the role of shepherds have come at an opportune time. But when I
looked at Jeremiah’s opening line, “Woe to the shepherds who misled and
scattered the flock …” I thought of all the Church critics, mostly inside the
Church, who would love to run with that idea to continue their criticism of our
bishops.
But that is not the
theme of our readings, nor is it my message today.
Let’s take our first
reading. Jeremiah lived in about the sixth century before Christ. He challenged
the political class of his day. He castigated the government and kings for
having led their people astray, and for their moral decline; he portrays them
as faithless shepherds, particularly King Zedekiah, who was a vassal king to
the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.
Zedekiah was the last
king of Juda after his revolt against Babylon caused Nebuchadnezzar to invade
and sent the Jewish people into the Babylonian exile.
So as we look around,
what do we see today? What would Jeremiah see?
Our beliefs, our
traditions, everything we have held sacred and honorable are under attack.
Marriage has been re-defined, the wanton slaughter of the unborn is promoted as
a civic virtue by Catholic political leaders, and even the concept of sex and
gender is under re-evaluation.
We are constantly
“shepherded” by an entertainment industry which admits to no moral bounds and a
Caesar who is establishing a new religion to rival the old.
People of good will
are seeking answers, but often differ among themselves, and become confused by
the alternatives. But there is nothing new here. History is sometimes like a
broken record, it plays the same old verse over and over again, until we catch
on, which we seem never to do.
But Jeremiah says God
does not give up on his people. He will not only punish the unfaithful
shepherds but will gather his people and appoint faithful shepherds to replace
the unfaithful ones.
Of course, he did do
that. He ultimately sent his only son who established this, his Church, to
shepherd his people, to warn them of danger, and to teach in his name. This, of
course, is the authority and the mandate of the Catholic Church: to unite his
flock in truth and love.
Yet just as in the
Old Testament days of Jeremiah and the other prophets, people can still get
confused. We live in a time of transition. Like the crowds that heard Jesus in
person, we are told to adjust our worldview, or even to embrace a new one. So
where do we go?
The world if full of
conflicting voices. Just within
Christianity there are over 33,000 denominations. That means that as we sit
here there are Christian pastors around the world who are preaching the word
that suits their fancy and will appeal to those who are seeking a God to
conform to their own beliefs, rather than the other way around. They cater to
those who see God in themselves, a God of their own making; not the God that
made them.
And of course we even
see it within our own Church, a Church with specific doctrines, written for
anyone to read. Yet there are still those – including some clergy – who think
they can still be Catholic by selecting only those teachings with which they
agree and reject all the others.
They believe in the
kind of moral relativism that Pope Benedict warned us about.
You see, like the
prophets of ancient times, who were called by God to proclaim the truth to all,
the powerful and the lowly equally, Jesus established this Church to proclaim
his truth to the entire world: The Truth; the Absolute Truth; not a
watered-down version of truth, but the clear unblemished truth.
I understand that
some things are tough to accept or comprehend. It’s easy to say, “Well, the
Church has it wrong on this issue, or its teachings are out-of-date,”
especially when we consider some of the pressing moral and societal issues of
the day.
But God has always
wanted his people to know the truth. Jeremiah and all the prophets were sent to
do just that, and over the centuries the Church has produced holy men and women
who continue in that tradition, as Jeremiah did: preach truth to power.
And most people of
good will are craving for the truth … you can see it in today’s Gospel where
the crowds, who were like sheep without a shepherd, came to hear Jesus’ words.
So as we look around
at the current state of affairs in our world today, and wonder what our
response should be, remember the words of Peter found in Chapter 6 of John’s
Gospel, the Bread of Life Discourse.
If you recall, Jesus
had told the crowd that he was the bread of life and those that ate his flesh
and drank his blood would be raised on the last day. Naturally, many found that
hard to believe; and most walked away.
Note that Jesus did
not chase them; he didn’t try to sugar coat his message, or have it re-interpreted.
He just stood there, sadly, watching the crowd dissipate.
Then he turned to his
disciples and asked them, “Aren’t you going, too?” To which Peter replied,
“Where would we go? You have the words of eternal life.”
Peter, I’m sure, had
no better idea of what Jesus had just told the crowd then the crowd did. But he
was humble enough to have faith. And while he may not have understood, he knew
that when he looked at Jesus he was looking at the Son of God and humbly
accepted what he did not understand.
And I think that’s
the heart of God’s plan. He provides us with shepherds – today it is Holy
Mother Church – to teach us his ways and to keep us out of danger, just as true
shepherds guide and protect their sheep.
The challenge for us,
however, is this: Are we humble enough to accept that guidance, as Peter was,
or in pride do we place our opinions above the institution he has given the
authority to teach in his name.
The first sin of Adam
was the sin of pride. He and Eve believed the serpent that they could be like
God and know good and evil, if only they would eat the fruit of the tree in the
center of the garden. They did, and they failed.
Peter, however, gives
us the opposite response: trust and humility – not pride – before our God.
As we see from the
readings, God is and will always provide the proper guidance. But do we hear? Is it the voice of God or one of society’s
competing voices? What shepherd do we listen to?
Jesus says in John’s
Gospel “My sheep hear my voice. I know them and they follow me.” Of the
multiple voices out there, which one do we hear? The ones that provide an easy
path to an earthly life, or the one that demands faithful adherence to what
Scripture teaches?
So which voice do we
follow? Do we walk with the crowd, or do we stand with Peter?
That answer, my friends, will help shape our eternal destiny.
#
Deacon Mike Manno
St. Augustin Catholic Church, Des Moines, Iowa
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