TEACHING – 16TH Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B
Whatever the problem or need almost always it can be helped by some form of teaching. We see this in all areas of life. We have people teaching people how to be better parents, better spouses, better workers, better prayers, better players, better eaters and exercisers. Our age has an explosion of knowledge in every area of life.
In spite of the availability of so much knowledge there is still a tremendous amount of ignorance in many areas of human life. People suffer from ignorance and not living by the truth. So much is available, and yet many don’t think they need it, or realize its importance.
Mark’s Gospel reports people were seeking Jesus out because they had sensed their spiritual needs for spiritual knowledge. Mark tells us that when Jesus saw them “…His heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd…” His response to their need was to “…teach them many things”. Teaching at great length stresses how important Jesus considered teaching about the reign of God and the Commandments. Many leave out this important way to life and meeting human needs. Many lives are aimless and enslaved because people neglect the moral and spiritual teachings of Christ and the Church, the basic commandments and principles of the spiritual life.
Many go to the world of sin and falsehood and accept their teachings in the areas of the Commandments and the spiritual life. Many in our time, even those who consider themselves good Catholic Christians, pick and choose which moral teachings they will accept, learn, and follow from the Church. A number of studies show this, as does simple observation. That means that people have less life and create for themselves and others many more problems. We see people neglecting the commandments which protect human life, truth, justice and purity. We see people neglecting the public worship of God and not learning the teachings of faith that strengthen and build one’s life. We also see many who are growing through teachings.
It’s a constant process of being taught by the Lord. We can allow ourselves to be taught by the Lord. People who are aware of their spiritual needs are aware of the importance of teaching in their lives. They have a hunger for spiritual knowledge. The spiritual hungers and thirsts become more conscious in times of need, love, loss, suffering, faith, or when someone seeks the Lord. Some are not as aware of their spiritual hungers because they have been neglected, denied, crowded out, or simply not taught.
Through the Prophet Jeremiah, the Lord speaks strongly to spiritual shepherds who mislead and scatter God’s people. That can be done through false teachings or by not giving true teachings. Giving true teachings, which help people’s lives, is a form of caring which is one of the basic works of the official Church. The more open we are to the teachings of faith, the Gospel, and the Church, the healthier we are in our life with the Lord.
Some allow obstacles to keep them from the Lord’s teachings. They blame the shepherds or others. Some let the responses of others be their guide. They don’t question too much whether a practice or way is according to God’s truth or not.
The Lord told Jeremiah that He Himself would gather His people. He has raised up Jesus as the righteous shoot of David. “The Lord our justice.” I think it helps our accepting teaching by concentrating on what the Lord has done, rather than on what people have done or are doing. The Lord told Jeremiah that He would handle injustices.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians stresses what the Lord has done. “In Christ Jesus you who were once far off have become near by the blood of Christ.” What the Lord does for us is the best basis for our responses. People who stop coming to Mass because of a falling out, misunderstanding, or whatever with another member are not concentrating sufficiently on the Lord’s works and gifts.
People who become the Lord’s disciples, workers, or teachers have come to know the Lord and His saving actions in their lives and the lives of others. If we know the Lord, we are going to want to be taught “…many things…” by Him!
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