Readings (Year B):
Jeremiah 23:1–6
Psalm 23:1–6
Ephesians 2:13–18
Mark 6:30–34
Reflection: Whatever God wants
Today’s responsorial psalm and gospel intrigue me. Between the first and second readings, we sing: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want” (Ps. 23:1). At first blush, it sounds so good!
But when I let the words sink in, they can stop me. As in: Do I have enough faith to believe that? Is this psalm saying I should stop wanting things? Am I supposed to stop wanting our 14-year-old dog just diagnosed with lymphoma to not suffer?
Is my faith in question if I want my friend Gary to beat throat cancer? And his wife to feel safe and loved as she sits at his side advocating, during long days of chemotherapy and radiation?
Is that what a loving and merciful God wants? Or am I going sideways on this psalm?
In pondering this I looked for cues in the gospel. Clearly, the people there wanted. They wanted more time with Jesus. In fact, they wanted it so much that they raced ahead of the once again slow-moving disciples and beat them to the other side of the water.
Think about how that went down. Jesus and the guys dock the boat, exhausted, ready for a quiet night. But there’s a massive, hungry, anxious crowd waiting for him—wanting more. So, what does Jesus do? Total compassion, right? He knows in his bones what they want, and he begins teaching again.
The story doesn’t say what he taught but reading ahead we know that there’s a miracle coming. He’s about to show the disciples how to feed 5,000 people with a couple loaves of bread and a few fish!
“The sheep hear my voice,” he says. “I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). I know them and they follow me. That tells me a lot about Jesus’ style. He’s gentle, an inspired leader. People weren’t afraid of him or his judgements, even those who weren’t particularly proud of their actions felt safe with him— loved, not judged.
In a far-fetched kind of way, it reminds me of me and my dog. I love Chester and he knows it. When he hears my voice, he comes wiggling. When he’s hungry or needs to go out or wants to play, I’m on it. I wonder if that’s what the psalmist was trying to say: “Our Shepherd’s on it.”
What if that psalm isn’t saying stop wanting but instead is saying, “Go ahead people, name your deepest desire and know that God’s on it! Trust that God wants it for you precisely because God planted it in you. Rather than allow your energy to leak over undue anxieties, focus on God’s reassuring voice (not the “judgey” one, the gentle one) and stay close to it.
What if that’s our message, friends? What if that’s all God really wants from us—that we trust God’s gentle side and stay close to it? Can I get an amen?
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