These days I post less frequently, that is, more occasionally than I once did. Normally, I try to put up a Friday traditio and either my homily (on the Sundays that I preach) or a reflection on the Sunday readings on those weeks when I don't preach. Once in a while, I will post on a topic of interest or when I feel I have something worth writing down and perhaps sharing.
I don't mind mentioning again that this endeavor has been a vehicle of personal growth for me. The fact that what I write and post is public helps in that regard. Looking back, I have grown up a lot over the past decade-and-a-half. "Back in the day," as it were, I would've been all over Pope Francis's recent motu proprio on new norms governing the celebration of Mass according to 1962 Missale Romanum. These days, while I certainly have my thoughts on it, I don't feel the urge to share them, at least not quickly. Suffice it to say that I think the Holy Father's decision, based as it was on concerns expressed by bishops from throughout the world, is a good one.
Now, to this Sunday's readings, particularly today's Gospel from Saint Mark (6:30-34). It is tempting to set upon what Jesus says to his road-weary disciples: "Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile." What is notable about this seemingly unremarkable passage is that their plan to retreat utterly fails!
Jésus enseigne le peuple près de la mer, by James Tissot, 1886-1896
Jesus and the Twelve set out in a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee, headed for the "deserted place" where they intended to "rest a while." Hearing they were leaving and apparently knowing their destination, many people were awaiting them when they arrived at the "deserted place." The deserted place wasn't deserted. Rather, it was teeming with people.
It's safe to say that my response to this would've been impatience, frustration, and perhaps a bit of anger. Jesus, seeing the people, "was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd." After all, there was a reason they made haste for Jesus's destination. They were seeking something, someone. And so, Jesus "taught them many things." In other words, he spoke to their desire, to that inchoate something that brought them to this otherwise deserted place.
Nonetheless, the inspired author of Mark does not write one word about what Jesus said to them on that occasion. The author does not recall/remember/compose a discourse to put on Jesus's lips. I think, rather, that this unspectacular episode is highlighted by Jesus, rather than castigating the people or impatiently shunning them, taking pity on them and taking time with them. After all, he is the Good Shepherd, n'est ce pas?
He doesn't wow them with soaring rhetoric or astound them by pulling off a spectacular miracle. In other words, he doesn't rob them of their freedom by manipulating them in any way. He simply speaks to them, to their desire, their restless seeking, inviting them to recognize/realize who he is: God in the flesh, God coming close, Emmanuel, God with us.
If we follow Mark's narrative beyond the verses that comprise our reading today, it seems Jesus speaks to the crowd for a long time. He does so despite being tired and ready to get some rest. He talks to them for so long that it grows late and people are hungry. Then comes the miraculous feeding of the 5,000.
Note: this has a liturgical structure- Liturgy of the Word followed by the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Like what he says to them, which is not even recorded, the meal, apart from there surprisingly being enough to feed everyone present, is a simple affair. "Noble simplicity" to make active, conscious participation easier was the reason for the reform of the Sacred Liturgy.
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