16th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2018 / "We need to smell of the sheep"

Gospel

Mark 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.

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Pope Francis made headlines by saying that we as shepherds today should know the ‘smell of the sheep’.

He means that in our Christian communities we would know the needs, frustrations, poverty, hopes and the dreams of people. We need to know and accept people at their worst.

We need to smell of the sheep, meaning we should know them and be out with them in the world today.  In case you were not aware, Sheep don’t smell good!