"Friend and Coach": A Reflection on The First Reading for July 22nd, 2018: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 23:1-6

1 "Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!" says the LORD. 2 Therefore thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: "You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the LORD. 3 Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, says the LORD. 5 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: `The LORD is our righteousness.'

What does it take to keep a team together? Encouragement, discipline, a unified vision, hard work, persistence, forgiveness, leadership. And what is it that tears a team apart? Blame, different visions, ego, distrust… leadership. Disunity is as apt to occur because of leadership as is unity. So how does a leader achieve the latter rather than the former? They first point to the common goal, or—if they are leaders of the faithful—they first point to The One we’re all working from, working for, and working toward.

I’ve been immersed in the World Cup tournament over the last month. Soccer is 'the beautiful game'. When a team with a unified vision constructs a plan of attack and executes it, my heart races. I am prone to elaborate and animated celebrations (especially when I’m alone in my living room) when players move swiftly and deftly, distributing the ball between them as though it were a connecting appendage. It is a dance that, when properly aligned, is poetry in motion.

By contrast, when one player distributes a ball where he thinks another player should be, the needle drags across the record as the play screams to a halt. This can be painful to watch, and when it happens, it can be easy to blame the other for the lack of connection.

A great success story in this tournament was, as it often is, the story of the underdog. The Croatian national team took the world by surprise and, through hard work, a unified vision and great leadership, found themselves in the World Cup final. Zlatko Dalic (who happens to be a faithful Catholic), was given the role of head coach when it seemed unlikely the Croatians would even qualify for the World Cup. With a rosary in his pocket, Dalic coached this hopeless group to heights they hadn’t dreamed of achieving. How? “Dalic was both friend and coach”1.

In this reading from Jeremiah, he cautions against the harsh leadership of his time; leaders who “destroy and scatter the sheep”. This is not leading out of friendship, or a unified vision. The goal for a good shepherd is to gather, protect and heal the sheep so that they may all remain unified and move together in the same direction. Jeremiah assures us that God will provide the Shepherd who will right these wrongs, return the lost sheep, and heal the wounded. This Great Shepherd will be just and wise; He will be both “friend and coach”. How much easier is it to feel valued, motivated and unified within your team when the leader cares for each and every one who belongs to it?

Let us pray: As we move through our day, Lord, help us to recognize the influence we have on others, and in recognizing our influence, help us to lean into Your wisdom so that we too, may be shepherds who befriend the sheep.

Lori MacDonald


1 Samindra Kunti, FIFA World Cup 2018: How coach Zlatko Dalic took Croatia from brink of qualifying exit to title-decider in 10 months, First Post

"Leaders of the faithful first point to The One we’re all working from, working for, and working toward. " - Lori MacDonald (Ora Reflections)