Furnished with good to do His will

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to find restoration of our body and soul in our intimate relationship with Jesus.

Opportunity to be Shepherd

The Letter to the Hebrews offers directions to members of the community who seek to do the will of Jesus.

 * [13:17–25] Recommending obedience to the leaders of the community, the author asks for prayers (Heb 13:17–19). The letter concludes with a blessing (Heb 13:20–21), a final request for the acceptance of its message (Heb 13:22), information regarding Timothy (Heb 13:23), and general greetings (Heb 13:24–25).1

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus, as the Good Shepherd of Psalm 23 balances the rest required after the Return of the Twelve with the needs of the crowds who follow Him.

* [6:31–34] The withdrawal of Jesus with his disciples to a desert place to rest attracts a great number of people to follow them. Toward this people of the new exodus Jesus is moved with pity; he satisfies their spiritual hunger by teaching them many things, thus gradually showing himself the faithful shepherd of a new Israel; cf. Nm 27:17; Ez 34:15.2 

Mary Lee Brock can relate to the exhaustion felt by the apostles. As they had not even had time to eat, Jesus tells them to Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while. And like the apostles, she does not try to answer away her exhaustion but simply sees it as her current condition.

 As my prayer continues, I grow to appreciate the loving care Jesus shows the apostles.  Jesus must have been exhausted as well, yet he urged rest for those who have been serving with him.  What a gentle shepherd Jesus is during this exchange.
Jesus as shepherd is the main theme through all of the readings today, especially the beautiful and familiar Psalm 23.  A gift of reading scripture is each time I encounter the words new images and meaning spring forth.  Revisiting Psalm 23 today helps my exhaustion subside.  I pray for the desire to be open to Jesus as my shepherd.  Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul. Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life.3

Don Schwager quotes “The good shepherd feeds us with the words of God,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The pastures that this good shepherd has prepared for you, in which he has settled you for you to take your fill, are not various kinds of grasses and green things, among which some are sweet to the taste, some extremely bitter, which as the seasons succeed one another are sometimes there and sometimes not. Your pastures are the words of God and his commandments, and they have all been sown as sweet grasses. These pastures had been tasted by that man who said to God, 'How sweet are your words to my palate, more so than honey and the honeycomb in my mouth!' (Psalm 119:103)." (excerpt from Sermon 366.3)4 

Friar Jude Winkler notes that the treatise format of the Letter to the Hebrews ends in the manner of a Pauline epistle. The paraenesis of Hebrews refers to depending on the Good Shepherd example of Jesus in the Gospel. Friar Jude advises that balance is needed between private prayer and the apostolate. Our time of prayer is not always sacrosanct.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, offers the Spiritual Practice of Standing Before the Cross. He suggests that we picture ourselves before the crucified Jesus. We recognize that he became what we fear: nakedness, exposure, vulnerability, and failure. He became sin to free us from sin (see 2 Corinthians 5:21). He became what we do to one another in order to free us from the lie of punishing and scapegoating each other. He became the crucified, so we would stop crucifying. He refused to transmit his pain onto others.

Jesus, Crucified, you are my life and you are also my death. You are my beauty, you are my possibility, and you are my full self. You are everything I want, and you are everything I am afraid of. You are everything I desire, and you are everything I deny. You are my outrageously ignored and neglected soul.6 

The good energy to work with Jesus is nourished by the image of the Good Shepherd and our confidence that He provides all we need to do His will.

References

1	(n.d.). Hebrews, chapter 13 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/13
2	(n.d.). Mark, chapter 6 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/6
3	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 9, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
4	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
5	(n.d.).Mass Readings and .... Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/
6	(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archive: February 2019 - Center for Action and .... Retrieved February 9, 2019, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2019/02/