Franciscan Friar Fr. Paul Gallagher reflects on the Gospel readings for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Have you ever felt like you were so busy that there was not enough time to eat or sleep?
The content is edited by Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Anne Marie Lom and Joe Thiel. The excerpts from the Sunday readings are prepared by Joe Thiel. To read or download the complete pdf with excerpts for your prayer, please click here Franciscan Gospel Reflection July 21 2024. Excerpts are from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. Photos: Andreas F. Borchert, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons
Mark 6:30-34
The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
People were coming and going in great numbers, and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it. They hastened there on foot from all the towns and arrived at the place before them.
When he disembarked and 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.
Background:
Almost each line in today’s Gospel paints a new picture. Take the time to take in each scene as it unfolds.
The Gospel text from last week described Jesus sending the Twelve out, entrusting them with his authority over unclean spirits, and exhorting them to preach repentance. The text concluded with a statement that they had been very successful. “The Twelve drove out many demons and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.” (Mark 6:13)
In the verses between last Sunday’s Gospel and this week’s text, Mark reports that Jesus’ reputation is spreading. Even King Herod has now learned of him. People are speculating whether Jesus might be Elijah raised from the dead. Herod himself believes that Jesus is John the Baptist come back to life. Then in the next 12 verses Mark reports in some detail how Herod had John the Baptist arrested and beheaded. Having described King Herod at his worst, Mark then turns our attention back to Jesus. In the Gospel text for this week, Jesus receives his apostles as they return from their mission. He continues to invite them to follow his example. In the first chapter of the Gospel, Mark records Jesus having cured the sick and possessed that were brought to him, including Peter’s mother-in-law. Then Mark states, “Rising very early before dawn, he [Jesus] left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. (Mark 1:35) On that occasion Jesus did not return to heal those attempting to come, despite the urging of the apostles. Jesus takes the apostles away from the crowd so that they can have some privacy and an opportunity for prayers.
This is the only place in Mark’s Gospel were the disciples are called apostles. The Greek word that is used here emphasizes the relationship between the one sending and the one being sent. The one being sent is sent as a representative of the one doing the sending. The only authority that the sent person has is that of the sender. Given this type of relationship, it would be expected that when those who have been sent return, they would give a report to the sender. In the opening verse of our Gospel, Mark states simply that the apostles reported back to Jesus all that they had taught and done in his name.
The return of the twelve from distant places would be a reason for suspicion, curiosity, and hope of news from distant lands. Mark states that so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. The reality may have been that they could not eat with so many guests. In this culture it would have been unthinkable to eat and not invite guests to join you. (Mark 6:31b) Those who were aware of the return of the Twelve were also aware of their needing rest. Travel was difficult. Yet the people followed Jesus and the disciples.
If the return of the disciples was a cause for the local people to seek them out, their attempt to escape to a deserted place would add another layer to their curiosity. The areas between villages and hamlets were dangerous, the region of chaos. It would have been extraordinary that Jesus and the disciples would desire to escape into this area of chaos. These people lived their entire lives avoiding these places. That so many were now willing to set out into the chaos is a window into their desire to discover what Jesus and his disciples were doing.
The image of the people of Israel being like sheep without a shepherd appears several times in the Hebrew Scriptures. This image would have been familiar to Mark’s community. Moses prayed that Yahweh would send a new leader for the people so that they would not be like sheep without a shepherd (Nm 27:12). Ezekiel 34:1-31 uses the image to describe the people of Israel, when those who had been entrusted with the care of the people instead used the people and their possessions for their own benefit. The characterization of the people as being like sheep without a shepherd and Jesus beginning to teach them would have been seen as a criticism of the Jewish leadership who abandoned the common people and left them hungry for guidance.
Reflection Questions:
- Have you ever felt like you were so busy that there was not enough time to eat or sleep? What were you like emotionally at that time?
- Are you aware of others who are feeling similarly today in your community or even among your family or friends?
- Have you had people in your life who have given you the opportunity to break away and have some quiet rest? Have you been able to provide that kind of time for others?
- Do you have times when you break away to spend some time in solitude? Are you feeling a need for that now?
- What thoughts and feelings come forward as you contemplate spending significant time in a deserted place with God?
- Can you talk with God about your desire to seek out Jesus, your desire to have some quiet alone time with God, or maybe the things that keep you from finding a quiet solitude to be with God?