There are many tremendous and astounding things happening in our world today. Aided by explosive, accelerating technology we continue to advance medical and other health improvement capabilities. We discover more truths about how we best function physically, interpersonally and socially. There are, in fact, an abundance of ways in which we continue to gain knowledge about the universe and about human history. We have unleashed artificial intelligence further accelerating what we can do with the information that we, and our machines, can detect and collect. We have the building blocks to move more closely to a perfect union. Yet we all know that we live in turbulent times.
We are moving about creating new things and means and possibilities but the yield shows us to be more like “motley crews of discontents and zealots”. Confidence in our institutions including, for too many, the Church- falters. Fear is rampant. Why? This is certainly not Godly. Is it?
The book of Jeremiah, from which the first reading comes, describes the kingdom of Judah around the year 600 BC. Judah was a tribe of what would become the Jewish people who settled south of where Jerusalem would be established. The tribe had produced King David and King Solomon. In time it would produce the King of Kings, the Mashiach (Messiah), Jesus. In the meantime, they were a hot mess. Jeremiah (the prophet not the bullfrog) stood against the tide of destruction but he was not enough to reset the people and align them under God. He was arrested, imprisoned and was made a public disgrace. Forced to flee to Egypt, he eventually, simply disappeared. His influence, however, became greater after his disappearance (does all this remind you of someone else?). Two thousand plus years later Jerusalem and the chosen people of God, needless to say, still exist and are still under the protective mantal of God.
Our Psalm today is very familiar to us and to many and very many others. It has been a tremendous comfort to scores of people. I once heard the story of an inner-city parish that had been slowly shrinking away. The parish priest, in part time residence, was asked to bury a parishioner who had not been active since childhood. The parishioner had died of AIDS. There had been no funeral Mass. The weary priest was hesitant but agreed in hopes of offering solace. After reciting some prayers and a few perfunctory words of consolation, the priest ended the reflection. But before the priest could leave, one of the attendees said, ”The 23rd Psalm. You didn’t say the 23rd Psalm”. The priest began: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want….” The attendees joined appropriately. Peace came to that place.
When you were conceived, God was there. When you were born, God was there. In triumphs and in your failings, God has been there. In the toughest of circumstances, when things seem impossibly disjointed, God is there. As you read this, God is near.
The Apostle Mark recalls a time that he was with Jesus and He looked out and saw a crowd who were lost in the turbulence of the time, and had pity and He drew near and in so many words reminded them that the “Lord is your shepherd; there is nothing you shall want…”
