Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Posted byraineya2Posted inUncategorizedTags:, , , , , , , , ,

Our readings for Sunday are here. 

These are the poems, my notes, and interpretations of Fr Dennis’ homily from the Mass of

  • July 26, 2015 Sun 5PM

_______

The poem Fr Dennis references this year is:

In 2015, we reflected on —

  • Both Jesus and the apostles are tired, maybe exhausted and are heading out to find a private, quiet place to pray and rest, but …
  • Jesus sees a vast crowd who has run around the lake to intercept them, has pity on them (the gut-wrenching, heart-breaking pity of the Good Samaritan parable) and then … teaches.  ?!?!?
  • Why no miracles this time?  Why teaching?  And, to top it off, Mark does not even share what Jesus taught, save to say “many things.”
  • What we can take from this sharing, then, is that the content of what Jesus said is relevant, but it is his person that was the remarkable thing.  He was compassionate, a shepherd, e.g., the way he goes about living his faith.
  • Peter Schmitt’s poem of Tin Ear shares a teacher’s approach to letting a student know he may is likely off-key, without saying a thing, a pastoral teacher.  No more group singing, but the poet’s enthusiasm for shower, car, and other private singing is not diminished in the least (“where [he’s] ready to sing // in a key no one has ever heard.”)
  • A cameo from Fr Eric Sundrup, SJ, at the Sunday 10AM Mass in which he emphasized how this passage emphasizes Jesus’ compassion arising from his relational Love; God IS relationship.  As we show more compassion, we show more people we are human, thus remind those who see that they are human, too.

Our featured image is a repeat of “The Good Shepherd” by the late Fr Sieger Koder (1925-2015).  He was a German priest, WWII veteran, smith, and artist.  He retired from active priestly pastoral duties in 1995, but continued his artistry until he passed in 2015.  A gift of another 20 years to us all.  The Europeans have created a number of books offering retreat-like meditations using his work.

I continue to love the warmth and embrace of this Good Shepherd.  🙂

Leave a comment