"Who Invited You?": A Reflection on The Gospel for July 22nd, 2018: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mark 6:30-34

30 The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. 31 And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. 32 And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. 33 Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. 34 As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.

I put myself in the scene. I imagine I am one of the apostles who have returned to Jesus—tired and full of stories of my busy day working for the Lord.  I am struck by the way Jesus receives me with such empathy and compassion; evidenced by how He invites me, along with the other apostles, to come away with Him to rest and eat. His invitation lost its allure, though, once we realized that the very people we were trying to get rest from, had arrived at our destination before us!

Now, I don’t know about the other apostles, but I’m a tad ticked. I was so looking forward to time alone with Jesus, and here are all these people (a prelude to the story of feeding the thousands)! Really… who invited them? Have you ever found yourself running away from the people who draw on your resources, only to have them show up in your place of refuge?

The interesting thing is, Jesus invited them. Not knowingly, I suppose, but by virtue of His mission: to call all peoples unto Himself, always.

I love how He looked upon them with pity (help me Lord, to do the same). He saw in their faces—in their demeanor—how hungry they were; not for food for their stomachs so much as food for their souls. They couldn’t get enough of hearing how much God loves them and wants to heal them and bring them into fullness of life, with and through Jesus. So when Jesus said they are like sheep without a Shepherd, I got it.  

This is my mission as well: to go the extra mile. Even when I’m tired—and maybe especially then. For it’s when we are weak that we are strong. It’s then, in our weakness, when we know who is truly at work. It’s not me Lord, but You working in and through me. How blessed are we when we can join Jesus in shepherding the lost sheep home to the one true Shepherd. The One who will melt us, form us, fill us and use us all for the glory of God. How blessed am I? How blessed are we!
 
Let us pray: Today Lord, I come to you like a sheep needing a Shepherd. A person who is aware of my own limitations and needs—for healing and strength—to embrace the life I’ve been given.  Be my strength, my hope, my guide. Help me Lord, to be an instrument of Your love and peace, in this troubled, yet beautiful world. Amen.

Patricia Cosgrove

"How blessed are we when we can join Jesus in shepherding the lost sheep  home to the One True Shepherd." - Patricia Cosgrove (Ora Reflections)