16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B – Homily
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Psalm 23:1-3, 3-4 5, 6, (1)
Ephesians 2:13-18
Mark 6:30-34
July 21, 2024
When Jesus “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 the verses that follow this Jesus will feed the vast crowd with bread. He knows they must eat. He will go on to perform a corporal work of mercy to feed them.
Jesus also recognized their spiritual needs. He “teaches them many things.” In doing so, He performs the second Spiritual Work of Mercy, instructing the ignorant. He feeds them with the Word of God.
People need to be taught our faith today. We haven’t always done a good job of catechizing our people. I think this is a significant part of why some people stop going to church. They don’t appreciate what goes on at Mass because they weren’t taught to understand. Sometimes because we the church did not teach them well. Sometimes because they were not taught at home the importance of faith.
In the days of Jeremiah the people had gone astray. Some because of their own choices in life. Others because the shepherds over them had misled the people and allowed them to scatter. Some failed to teach them well. Some of the shepherds did this accidentally. Others willingly went astray themselves away from God or to false gods.
They did not care for the people as shepherds should. For this, the Lord punished them for their evil deeds.
Many people were coming to Jesus in great numbers. What drew them to him?
What do you look for in a shepherd who leads you? Hearing the 23rd Psalm, do you look for shepherds who will fulfill all your wants? Do you really need all you want or does a good shepherd help you let go of your wants for things you don’t really need?
A good shepherd should teach us to look beyond our wants to live in solidarity with others.
In the time of Jeremiah, the Lord knew his people had been scattered. He knew many had gone astray. He promises to “appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they no longer fear and tremble.
God will send Jesus as the Good Shepherd to restore his people.
2,000 years later, people are going astray again. God had promised through Jeremiah, “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock.”
The remnant are those who had kept the faith. God gathered them back together. Through them He restored his people and appointed new shepherds.
The number of people practicing the faith is shrinking more and more. Who is left as the remnant who practice their faith? Are you part of the remnant?
I have a particular role to play in our parishes. I am the one who presides over the Sacraments. I teach. I do other things but I can’t do everything and I am not supposed to do everything.
We have deacons and we have paid staff who have particular roles but it is not for them to do everything.
Ask the Lord how you can help.
We’ve just begun a new fiscal year. Once again both parishes face deficits. We are very grateful for your financial giving. St. Mary’s faces a deficit of almost $36,000. That’s $18,000 less than last year because St. Mary’s parishioners have given that much more. Thank you! Yet, our expenses keep going up. Just salaries, benefits, and insurance are up $12,000 alone for St. Mary’s.
St. Benedict’s faces a deficit of $4,500. Salaries, benefits, and insurance alone are $2,100 of that.
Of course there are the same bills you have at home for electric, gas, water, phone, and internet.
For our occasional visitors, we appreciate anything you might give. You might ask yourself how your own parishes are doing.
For our regular visitors, how can you help to make sure we are here as strong parishes each year when you come back.
For our parishioners and long-term visitors, it isn’t just about money. Are there ways you can give of your time? For instance, St. Benedict’s parishioners clean St. Benedict’s with volunteers.
Prior to COVID volunteers at St. Mary’s did a portion of the cleaning (there is more to clean at St. Mary’s) with a part-time paid person doing the bulk of the cleaning. With COVID, the paid person absorbed all the cleaning duties.
In today’s bulletin you will find an insert. We are looking for volunteer cleaners at St. Mary’s. If we could get enough volunteers to clean everything, we could save $16,000, almost half of the expected deficit.
Maybe you can’t help with cleaning. Is there some other way you can help? Please let us know.
We need to become a stronger remnant and allow God to work through us.
That means we need to work to grow in our faith. What do you do to grow in your faith?
How do you contribute, not just financially, how do you use the gifts that God has given you to serve him, to help make our community better?
I ask everyone to pray daily for our parishes to be what God asks of us.