July 21, 2024 - Gospel Reading and Reflection

Gospel - 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.
Reflection:
A shepherd is an individual who commands a flock of sheep. The roles of a shepherd is to herd, feed, and guard sheep. He is someone who nurtures and nourishes a group of animals. All in all, a shepherd is an influential person. Because of his actions, the act of caring and feeding, the sheep willingly follow the shepherd.
In our Gospel, Jesus establishes himself as the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd represents Jesus’ willingness to offer his life for us, his sheep. It also shows Jesus as a leader who cares and leads his sheep toward goodness. From this, we can see that a shepherd is an influential person, but not all shepherds lead us towards greener pastures. In the First Reading, we hear the verse: “Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, against the shepherds who shepherd my people: You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.” In today’s time and age, we are so easily influenced by the people around us. There are so many things that we perceive simultaneously, especially with the dawn of social media. People become famous overnight in social media platforms, and through these apps, they reach a wide audience. The same thing goes for music artists and celebrities who are very popular among the youth. The things they do and advertise are vast and particularly entertaining for us, their target audience. What we need to do, as responsible social media users, is to always seek for the truth. Influencers show up just as often as they create issues. We should be aware of the people we look up to because their influence creates a huge impact in our lives. This also goes with the people we surround ourselves with, our friends and acquaintances. These people make us laugh, provide entertainment and more, but are these people leading us towards the arms of the Good Shepherd?
Life is a journey where we meet a whole lot of people. To find the right people who provide good influence is to be guarded by a strong foundation of principles. Shepherds are everywhere, from group leaders, elders, politicians and celebrities, even us because we all provide influence to another person, one way or another. Just as we should be looking up to Jesus, the Good Shepherd, we must also be a good influence to others. Let us plant firm into our hearts the seeds of virtue and always seek the truth in our daily life. In the midst of our fast-paced world, with everything becoming more and more distracting that shifts our attention elsewhere, we must be strong in our faith and follow the path of the Good Shepherd.
Let us seek Jesus’ presence in our lives, follow it and share it among our beloved neighbors, like true, faithful and obedient sheep.
Background Music:
Still
Songwriters: Reuben Timothy Morgan / Benjamin David Fielding
Artist: Hillsong Worship
Original Video: • Still - Hillsong Worship