YEAR B: HOMILY FOR 16TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

YEAR B: HOMILY FOR 16TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

HOMILY THEME: AM I A LEADER LIKE CHRIST?

BY: Fr. Augustine Ikechukwu Opara

Jeremiah 23:1-6; Psalm 22; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34

Today we have leaders who mislead and leaders who don’t help the people. Always we have had the same. The Scriptures are filled with stories of leaders like this in the Old Testament, and New Testament. The human shepherds of our nations have all failed God and us. The leaders begin to look for their own good, power, & importance. Our humanity seems to remain constant throughout all of history. There are very few leaders who have been great because of their true and deep concern for the people. But the fundamental question is, what kind of a person or leader am I? That is the challenge of the readings today. What values do we have? Do we truly seek the good of others and make their good more important than our own? Do we follow the Lord Jesus? Do I put others first?

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Jesus is faced with a very real human choice; He is aware of his need for rest, and he also recognizes the needs of the people who were before him. It was just that at this moment in their lives it was so important to them to see him, be near him, and hear his words. Realizing this, Jesus placed the needs of the crowd above his own. To emphasize the love out of which the decision arose Mark adds the phrase, “to teach them at some length.” In other words, Christ did not plan to dismiss all of the people quickly but made up his mind to care for them thoroughly.
The situation Mark relates here is familiar to most of us in our own lives. We are often caught with having to choose between our own legitimate needs and the needs of someone else. The choice is a hard one. Jesus’s response however shows us how one that truly loves his neighbor behaves. Love gives us a special ability to see how important our help and our presence are to the person calling on us. Through love, any resentment or irritation is lessened.
Jeremiah was probably writing shortly after the year 600 B.C. This was a time of great turmoil in the politics of the whole Middle East. Within the southern Kingdom of Judah, there was much infidelity to the God of Israel. The kings of Judah had not lived up to their calling, but it was the political factions within the country that were the real instruments of its downfall. And this is most relevant in our microcosmic and macrocosmic environment today.
Oppression and abuse do harm not only to the oppressed and abused but equally to the oppressor and abuser. My people, the Igbos of Nigeria express this belief as a proverb: A child that denies her mother sleep also denies herself sleep. So whatever bed our leaders make, they are going to lie with us, and posterity will surely judge them for their actions. There are two basic lessons from Jesus who is the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophesy. Putting the flock first as we have already explained and accountability which could be a time debriefing, evaluation, or faith-sharing (discussing in groups how God is working among us) as we saw Jesus do with his apostles on their return from their first mission.
However, the good news is that God will restore us. He will repair the broken elements of our land. This is a message of hope for all passing through all forms of political, social and economic crisis. We simply need to obey Christ’s teachings and instructions to be redeemed and restored to his Father. Trusting Christ our king and shepherd, let us always proclaim without ceasing: “The Lord is my shepherd. There is nothing I shall want!” Let us be women and men who always serve the Lord Jesus, the Father, and the Spirit in all we do! Let us abandon ourselves so that we may serve others, each is his or her own way. I ask again am I a leader like Christ?
God bless you!

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