Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Gospel Commentary, by Msgr. João Scognamligio Clá Dias, EP
Mass Readings
Featured Saints
St. Frederick, bishop, martyr (+838). Bishop of Utrecht, Holland. A master of Sacred Scripture, he evangelized among the Frisians.
Blessed Simon of Lipnica, priest (†1482). Franciscan religious; outstanding preacher and ardent devotee of the Holy Name of Jesus. He died during a plague epidemic in Krakow, after contracting the disease while ministering to victims.
St. Bruno, bishop (†1123). Persecuted for his tireless efforts for Church reform; obliged to leave his diocese in Segni, Italy, he took refuge in the Monastery of Monte Cassino, where he became abbot.
St. Philastrius, bishop (†circa 397). Bishop of Brescia, he joined St. Ambrose and St. Augustine in the fight against Arianism.
Blessed Jean-Baptiste of Brussels, priest and martyr (†1794). Priest of the diocese of Limoges, imprisoned in a sordid galley in Rochefort during the French Revolution where he died of starvation and disease.
St. Theodosia, religious and martyr (†eighth century). Martyred in Constantinople for opposing the destruction of an ancient statue of Christ that Emperor Leo III the Isaurian had ordered removed from the bronze door of his palace.
Mass Readings
First Reading – Jer 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds
who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture,
says the LORD.
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.
You have not cared for them,
but I will take care to punish your evil deeds.
I myself will gather the remnant of my flock
from all the lands to which I have driven them
and bring them back to their meadow;
there they shall increase and multiply.
I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them
so that they need no longer fear and tremble;
and none shall be missing, says the LORD.
Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
as king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
“The LORD our justice.”
Responsorial Psalm – Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6 (R.1)
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want..
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul. R.
He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage. R.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. R.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come. R.
Second Reading – Eph 2:13-18
Brothers and sisters:
In Christ Jesus you who once were far off
have become near by the blood of Christ.
For he is our peace, he who made both one
and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh,
abolishing the law with its commandments and legal claims,
that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two,
thus establishing peace,
and might reconcile both with God,
in one body, through the cross,
putting that enmity to death by it.
He came and preached peace to you who were far off
and peace to those who were near,
for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
Gospel – Mk 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.
