A call to be compassionate shepherds
16th Sunday, Year B, St. Charles Lwanga Apo, Abuja, 21.07.2024. Homily by Archbishop I.A.Kaigama.
Readings: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Ephesians 2:13-18; Mark 6:30-34
A call to be compassionate shepherds
Greetings to you my dear people of St. Charles Lwanga Parish, Apo, under the pastoral leadership of Fr. Thomas Edogbanya.
Last week, our first reading from Prophet Amos, known as the prophet of social justice focused on the rich; how they exploit the poor and corruptly amass wealth to the total neglect of the welfare of the people who are living side by side with them. This Sunday, our first reading from Prophet Jeremiah focuses on the shepherds who fleece the sheep, neglect them, and exploit them as mercenaries, instead of guiding them to good pastures where they can be nourished and rest. Our attention is therefore turned to all those in our society who spread the gospel – Catholic priests, bishops, pastors of other Christian denominations, catechists and other lay people. We ask that God will fill them with the Holy Spirit to lead the people entrusted to their care in the way of the Lord.
We are reminded today of God’s unwavering care for us as our shepherd, unlike those in the time of Jeremiah and even in our time. Anyone called to pastoral service must embody the compassion, justice, and love God had for His people Israel. We beg God to provide us with shepherds who think less about themselves and more about their people.
In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah speaks against the leaders of Israel who have failed in their duty as shepherds. They have scattered and harmed the flock, instead of nurturing and protecting it. God promises to gather His people and appoint shepherds who will truly care for them, culminating in the prophecy of a righteous Branch from the stock of David (cf. Jer 23:5)– a foreshadowing of Christ, the Shepherd par excellence.
During our annual priestly retreat, which ended last week, the retreat facilitator encouraged us to re-examine the content of our application when we wrote about aspiring to join the priesthood. In almost all cases, our expressed desire was to achieve personal holiness, the salvation of our souls, and the souls of others. After becoming priests, he warned us not to become cold, going about our pastoral duties as careerists or volunteers. The temptation today, for shepherds is to feed fat on the sheep and accumulate material things as if we are competing with businessmen and women, government officials, and political leaders. The “sons of Zebedee syndrome” is very strong today, as pastors want only the places of honour, some fly private planes, and many want to be appointed to where they minister to the rich and get handsomely rewarded, seeking greener pastures and juicy environments to operate in.
In the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus as the compassionate shepherd. After the apostles returned from their mission, Jesus recognized their need for rest and invited them to a deserted place. When Jesus saw the multitudes, He took pity on them and said, “They were like sheep without a shepherd.” We are the sheep of Jesus’ fold. He, with Shepherd’s compassion, guides, feeds, and protects us. The image of a shepherd is one that emphasizes presence, guidance, and protection. Unlike the hired hands, a true shepherd is committed to the well-being of the flock. This is the kind of leadership and care that Jesus embodies and invites us to share. We see in today’s Gospel, how Jesus was ready to forfeit his rest for His sheep.
The recent video clip of a Kenyan official caught my attention and I decided to transcribe it and reproduce it in my sermon because it depicts what true God-fearing leaders whether, political, traditional, or religious should do or be, namely sensitivity to the needs of people and not the people wallowing in poverty while the few rich swim in the ocean of luxury at the expense of the poor citizens. He declared:
“Good evening the people of Kenya. The constitution of Kenya of 2010, article 1, sub article 1, says: all sovereign power belongs to the people and shall only be exercised in accordance with the constitution.
Today I tender my resignation as a cabinet secretary in the government of Kenya. I want to offer my heart-felt apology to the people of Kenya for the greed, high-handedness, selfishness, arrogance, nepotism, tribalism and all the bad things that we have done to you the in last two years. When we came to power, we called ourselves shareholders and decided that most Kenyans are not part of the government; are no longer part of the state and do not have any human rights. We went ahead and received bribes from all over the world, and especially, from Dubai. We bought very expensive watches, some as expensive as one million Kenya’s Shillings equivalence in Dollars. We bought belts worth 50,000 shillings, and we made sure that citizens know how expensive we have become.
In a country where poor families cannot pay their children’s school fees, we were wallowing in luxury. I want to sincerely apologize and I want to say today that I am ready to give out all the bribes that I have received for the last two years; all the property that I have now, which can be traced back to the bribes I have received, will be surrendered to the state tomorrow, early in the morning. Should I get a chance to serve the people of Kenya again, I will stop the greed, I will stop the arrogance. But most importantly, I will be accountable to the people of Kenya. To the Police High Command, the Inspector General, who also tendered his resignation, I want to urge you to take Kenyans to all the graves where the bodies are hidden. It is time for accountability. Thank you, dear Kenyans.”
How I wish in Nigeria our present and past political leaders will willingly come forward with such courage to tell the truth, and like Zacchaeus (cf. Lk 19), to honestly confess their acts of injustice and corruption committed against the ordinary Nigerians citizens. Just imagine the impact, if beginning from our local government chairmen, state assembly members, commissioners, governors, House of Representative members, senators, ministers, presidents, leaders of various security arms, the judiciary, etc past and present, they accept to make this type of open confession and express their willingness to return whatever they have taken obviously not as part of their legitimate earnings but corruptly stolen from the people they were /are elected or appointed to serve.
Should this be honestly and transparently done, we will never need to borrow billions of Dollars from anywhere; hunger and poverty as currently experienced will find Nigeria a hostile place to exist, and our social infrastructure and amenities will be competing with those in the so-called “first world.”
Our embassies around the world, will be overcrowded as foreigners will be clamouring and competing for visas to come to Nigeria. Our governors and ministers don’t need to gallivant abroad in the name of wooing investors. Nigerians will be proud and happy to walk anywhere in the world with their heads held very high
May God give the political leaders in charge of our patrimony and indeed all Nigerians, whether high or low, the heart to always work for the common good.
Through the intercession of Our Mother Mary and St. Joseph her spouse, may our leaders imitate the servant-leadership of Christ and lead the people entrusted to their care in the way God wants.
May all those who suffer in our country today find comfort and strength in God’s presence.
