Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34
Grace, mercy and peace to you dear brothers and sisters in the Lord. Today is another day of thanksgiving, another day to be blessed, another day to be taught by God.
Today, we shall be reflecting on the theme, “Jesus cares about us.” How many of us believe this?
In the First Reading, the Lord condemns the ministry of some shepherds who do not care about the flock entrusted to their care. The Psalm of today is a familiar Psalm that celebrates God as a Good Shepherd who cares, provides, protects and guides. In many appealing ways, the Gospel reaffirms the theme that Jesus is a caring Shepherd. Let us pay a closer attention to the text.
We heard that the disciples came back to report to Jesus after a busy, stressful but fruitful ministry. After this, He MANDATED them to take time to REST in a lonely place. People saw them going and followed hurriedly.
Jesus didn’t send the people away or mandate the disciples to attend to them; instead he took pity on the people who followed them and set Himself to teach them at length.
The Gospel demonstrates the care of Jesus for the well-being of the disciples and also for the people who were hungry for more, people who had travelled far on foot just to be spiritually fed. He could have sent them away but He didn’t. He didn’t see them as problems but as people to be loved and cared for.
In the same way that Jesus cared for these people, He cares about us. What is the implication of this?
I. He pays attention to our needs.
As Jesus watched the disciples give their reports, He saw beyond what they were saying. He saw what they needed. They needed rest.
On Sundays, when we come to the Church, people look at one another and see different dresses, hairstyles, shoes, manicures, hats, makeup, and perfumes.
Jesus looks at us and He sees our feelings, our hurts, our struggles, our tears, our history. He sees the brokenness in our lives, our shame, our fears and our joys. He sees what we need because He cares that much. Jesus looks at us with an eye of love. He knows exactly what each of us needs and He sees where we need help. He is the only one who knows us inside and out because He cares absolutely. This is the image of Jesus we should have each time we come into His presence.
II. We can talk to Him
Because Jesus understands us more than anyone else does, we can talk freely with Him. The disciples rejoined Him and told Him all they had done and taught. Jesus listened to all they had to say. In life, we all need people we can talk to about “real” things; people who will listen and not judge us.
As far as I know, Jesus is the surest and most important person we can talk to about everything and anything. He wants us to have a relationship with Him so that it becomes natural to us to bring everything to Him. Often we are quick to call people, talk to people, and share our problems, even with those who don’t really care about us. Some will only listen and judge or mock us and many don’t know how to help us because they have got their own troubles. Jesus will listen and help us.
If from today, we resolve to talk more to Jesus about our stuff, our struggles and successes, our needs, our plans, our fears, our disappointments, and even what we think of as petty things, then we shall find real comfort and peace. In the Second Reading, St. Paul says Jesus is our PEACE. So, when we talk to our “peace” about our “needs,” we shall find greater peace in doing so.
III. Jesus cares about us and wants us to have a balanced life.
The disciples worked so hard, and they were willing to go on working again but Jesus made them rest, thereby teaching them they needed a balance. This balance is lacking in the lives of many of us. We need to learn to balance every aspect of our lives so that one part is not lacking while another part is experiencing excess. God wants us to balance our family life, our job, our spiritual life and our social life.
Some people are so busy with their work or career that their family suffers. Some overstretch their social life so that their job suffers. In most cases, it is the spiritual aspect of people’s lives that suffers the most. We are so busy with work, family, partying, hanging out and hosting friends that we have no time with and for God. We have no time to rest with God, to allow God to speak to us. We have no time to review our lives, assess ourselves, renew the inner self and build our relationship with God.
Jesus is telling someone today that you need a balance. Which area of our lives do we need to balance? Let us check any area that is suffering, any area where we are overdoing things, any area where there is an excess or where there is more than needed or any area where we are investing less than is required. Sometimes our excess could be in simple things but this is impacting greatly in our lives. Some of us spend too much time on TV, on social media, on reading until gradually we stress our brains and eyes. Some of us overeat and eat unhealthily or we drink excessively to the detriment of our health and the wellbeing of others. Some of us work too hard without rest. Some of us even rest too much without work (am I correct?). Sometimes we overspend, we spend too much money on what is not necessary. Some, under the pretext of spirituality, neglect other important aspects of their lives.
Jesus cares about us and He wants us to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle. After this reflection, let us pause and ask the Holy Spirit to lead us to some lonely place and reveal to us where we need to make adjustments in our lives in order to have a balance and live more healthily and happily.
Sermon preached by Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on July 21, 2024