Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

  Lectionary: 271

Jesus said, “Have the people recline.” Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.

In a similar setting Saint Matthew tells us, 

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.

The setting is pastoral and the people are like sheep in deep grass, content to be led, fed, and guided by the Shepherd. 

Today we begin a series of readings from John 6 which concern our deep and beautiful mystery of the Eucharist. Here is a gift the Lord is eager to give to us, and the Holy Spirit, moving within us, is equally eager to receive it. 

Arriving in this field of green grass, the pastor will remind us we must be disposed to receive the gifts he will offer. We must, for a time, lay aside the pretense of individual with its isolating pride and cocksure arrogance. The Spirit moves in us like an instinct, it compels us to fly like birds in a flock and sheep around the shepherd. The individual will say, "I don't need or want to be alone any longer! I want to be here with the Lord and his people. I want to belong to them and to him." 

It doesn't hurt to pause for a moment -- as we do at the beginning of each Mass -- to notice our reluctance. There is always that fearful urgency that says, "I have things to do. I've got people to see and places to go. How long will this take? Can we get this over with?" 

I confess to almighty God.... Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. 

As the principle celebrant of the Mass I have often noticed the readiness of the men and women in the assembly. They know the responses and gestures, and when to stand, sit, and kneel. They move together as one, forming a line to receive communion. Hearing the familiar words of the Eucharistic prayer their faces are soft; their manner, receptive. If their minds are wandering, they're not paying attention to their minds. Their hearts are with their Lord.  

Sometimes a visitor from another diocese may notice certain differences. In this church we remain standing while the congregation receives the Blessed Sacrament, until the presider sits down. But they are used to kneeling during that time. An individual might choose to demonstrate their superior piety and kneel. Some might interrupt the flow of the reception line and kneel or genuflect to receive the Eucharist. But most people don't need to be different. They have surrendered their apartness. Disposed by the Spirit, they obey the flocking instinct of this particular congregation. 

(It is not by accident that the city in the adage, "When in Rome...." is Catholicism's holy city. Although we are citizens of every nation on Earth, we worship God à la Romans.)  

Saint Matthew noticed the gathering crowd was "troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd."  Abandonment is one of the most common complaints heard in psychiatric circles. A nation that prizes individuality avoids parenting, mentoring, and befriending. Children feel like orphans in their own homes, and many have been orphaned by divorce. Some escape the isolation to find friendship in the cruel streets of urban centers, where they die.  

The Spirit of God invites us to surrender those fearful habits and attitudes. We gather to pray and bow our heads in worship. We relax with the Lord, letting the world with its 24/7 news cycle pass us by. We are where we need to be, right here with Jesus, before God our Father.