Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelations 7:9, 14-17; John 10:27-30
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Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai:
Following the Good Shepherd
Today marks the 59th Anniversary of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations instituted by Pope Paul VI in 1964. Parishes are encouraged to pray for an increase in vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Pope Francis in his message for today titled “Called to Build the Human Family” he encourages all of us to be protagonists together of the Church’s mission’ messages, to be guardians of one another and of creation, to welcome God’s gaze, respond to God’s gaze and build a fraternal world. On this same day, the Universal Church celebrates the Good Shepherd Sunday. All the readings today have something to teach us about the Good Shepherd.
In the Old Testament, God himself is represented as the Shepherd of his people. Psalm 23:1 says “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”. Psalm 95:7 “He is our God and we are his people whom he shepherds”. The response to the psalm today puts it this way “We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” In Isaiah 40:11 the scriptures speaks of the future Messiah who “Like a shepherd feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the young with care”. The role of the Shepherd is fully expressed in Jesus Christ in the New Testament. He says in John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd…” and in today’s gospel Jesus adds “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Similarly, the second reading noted that the Lamb in the midst of the throne, who is Christ, will shepherd the people and he will guide them to the spring of living water.
It is important to note that Jesus calls himself the Good Shepherd. Jesus would not have added the adjective “good” if there were no bad shepherds. In Biblical history, Herodias, Abimeleck, Jezebel, Herod were bad shepherds. In John 10:12 Jesus calls them hirelings – they appear as good shepherds but intrinsically they were not. A hireling is a person who works purely for material reward. No good shepherd works purely for material reward. Throughout history good and bad shepherd had abounded in the Church and in the society. Look at the Church and the society today and see the adverse effects of some bad shepherds. Prov. 29:2 says “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan.” Beloved, a bad husband or teacher is a bad shepherd; a false prophet is a bad shepherd; a good shepherd will take you to Jesus; but a bad shepherd will take you from Jesus.
In today’s first reading we see Saints Paul and Barnabas demonstrating the character of good shepherds; they were teaching the people about God after they themselves had faithfully attended the synagogue. On the other hand,the Jewish leaders like bad shepherds, were not happy with the presence and teaching of Paul and Barnabas and so they have them driven from the synagogue. Let us learn from the Good Shepherd. Let us teach others and foster their calls and ordination. Let us promote peace, justice and oneness; let us guide many into fulfilling their vocation like the Good Shepherd did to his disciples.
The Good Shepherd Cares: Jesus says in today’s gospel “No one will snatch them out of my hand.” A good shepherd cares for his sheep and protects them from snatchers and wolves. Who is he that snatches? The Bible says in 1 Peter 5:8 “your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour”. The devil and his agents are the snatchers. In John 10:10 “…he comes to steal, to kill and to destroy.” Beloved, no one can snatch us. In Isaiah 31:5 we are told that “like birds hovering overheads so the Lord will protect Jerusalem he will protect and deliver it, he will spare and rescue it.” This is our confidence! We have a God that will never fail us! Other shepherds may fail; but the Lord will not fail. If the Lord has assured us of safety then we should not endanger ourselves. Lastly, how do we care for those in our charge?
The Good Shepherd knows his sheep: In the Gospel, Jesus says “…I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). Jesus knows us; he knows each one of us by name. Your grand Father may not know you; but Jesus knows you. Your mother may not know you but Jesus knows you. Your priest may not know you but Jesus knows you. (Jesus knows all about…) Jesus knows you. He knows us far better than we know ourselves. In Jer.1:5 God says “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations. We cannot hide from God, he knows us personally, heaven and earth are his, and so He knows us all. Since he knows us, let us know him too. And by extension, do we know those under our watch? If we do; do we sincerely know what they go through? Those discerning their vocation; how much of them do we actually know?
A Good Shepherd’s voice: We live in a world of many voices and only one voice is reliable and unfailing. Many voices clamor for our attention, many of whom claim to speak for God. 1Cor. 14:10 there are many kind of voices and none of them is without meaning. We must learn to listen to the voice of Jesus. In the gospel Jesus says “My sheep listen to my voice…” (John10:27). Let us learn to listen to Jesus in the Scriptures, teaching and doctrine of the Church. If we listen to his voice no one can snatch us from his hands. If we listen to his voice Isaiah 30:21 says “if we wander off the road to the left or the right, we shall hear your voice say to us “Here is the road. Follow it”.
Fr. Paul Oredipe
World day of Prayer for Vocations
Today is the Good Shepherd Sunday. We are specially called upon to reflect on this unique image of Christ, the Good Shepherd.
The theme of Shepherd was an ancient one in Israel. In fact, one of the most familiar sights of Palestine is that of a shepherd leading his sheep (flock). The imagery of shepherd-flock is used to describe with some adequacy the relationship between Yahweh and his people.
In the Old Testament, God was portrayed as the shepherd of Israel (Ez. 34:11ff). The shepherd in the ancient Near East was devoted to his flock since his very existence depends on its survival. Their life on the other hand depended on the care of the shepherd. Thus the confidence of the Israelite in Yahweh the Shepherd is expressed in Psalm 23 “The Lord is my shepherd there is nothing I shall not want”.
The Gospel story of today presents us with one of such instances in which Jesus speaks about Himself as Shepherd. In doing so, He always uses parallels and images, which was familiar and as such would appeal to the people of his day. Thus Jesus says: “I am the good shepherd” John 10:11.
The theme of the shepherd keep coming again and again in this chapter of St. John’s Gospel read to us today. Here Jesus distinguishes three different types of shepherds.
There is the stranger shepherd who comes in for the first time to lead the flock. The flock does not know him and cannot follow him.
There is the hired shepherd. Unlike the stranger shepherd, the sheep know his voice and follow him because he has been with them for a long time. However, because the sheep are not his, he is not prepared to suffer any inconvenience for their sake. Thus if a dangerous animal attacks the flock, he will run away (John 10:12).
Jesus is none of these types of shepherd. He is the GOOD SHEPHERD.
Jesus Christ describes the baseness and falsehood of the strange and hired shepherd to bring out the qualities of the true Good Shepherd. The scribes and pharisees were supposed to be the shepherds of the people but actually they were far more interested in their own personal gain and glory than in the spiritual welfare of the flock. Their opposition to Jesus sprang from this as the people were following him and this may make them lose their position of leadership and the substantial financial profit it entailed. To these leaders Jesus contrasts Himself as the Good Shepherd.
There are two reasons, as found in the gospel of today, given for His being Good Shepherd.
In the first instance, He, as the Good Shepherd, laid down His life for His sheep. Sheep have a poor sense of direction and are unable to forage well themselves. They are moreover defenseless animals and need a shepherd to protect them. Thus, all good shepherds must be ready to do anything, even risk their lives, for their flock.
In ordinary life, no one of course expects a shepherd to lay down his life for an actual flock of sheep. But the salvation of a spiritual flock outweighs, in importance, the physical life of their shepherd and any such shepherd must be prepared to risk and even give up his life for the sake of his flock.
In the case of Christ, the Good Shepherd, He was not merely to risk His life for His sheep, but He would offer that life, a willing victim. Such a death is not merely acceptance of the inevitable: it is a voluntary self-offering.
Jesus, our Good Shepherd gave His life for His sheep, but more than that, He arose triumphantly from death, so that He could continue to tender His sheep to their pasture. Had He remained permanently in the state of death, He could not have redeemed the world. Thus, Christ not only died, as a Good Shepherd, for His sheep, but He became for them a source of more abundant life. It was especially through this passion and resurrection that Christ showed and proved Himself as the Good Shepherd.
Secondly, Jesus is the Good Shepherd because, as He says in the gospel, He knows the sheep intimately. He has shared their human condition. The life of a shepherd is characterized by such an intimate sharing. A good shepherd literally lives among his sheep, sleeping with them, feeding them, feeding them, guiding them over barren and dangerous places to good pasture, being ever on the alert for wolves and other animals that might threaten the flock. Thus, the shepherd knows each sheep. Knowledge implies union between the knower and the one known. The knower possesses the one he knows and at the same time gives himself to him. This is the way Christ the Good Shepherd knows His sheep.
As Christ is the Good Shepherd, who are the sheep?
St. John in his first letter tells us that we are already the children of God through the love that the Father has lavished on us. As children of God, we are the sheepfolds of Christ. He is our Good Shepherd. We become God’s children through Baptism, which unites us with Christ, the Good Shepherd. Therefore, one privilege of becoming God’s special children is being under the great care of the Good Shepherd. Thus, we no longer roam about like we sheep without a shepherd. The Lord is our Shepherd. His passion and resurrection, which is a sign of His love, turn to be meritorious and effective in our life.
As sheep, certain things are demanded of us if we are to continue to be under the care of the Good Shepherd. Our obligation consists in being good sheep, docile and grateful followers of the Good Shepherd. We must know Him, belong to Him and listen to His voice.
If we are to remain in the sheepfold and continually enjoy the protection of the Good Shepherd, we must learn to listen to the voice of Christ. This is what He expects from us. We must pay attention to where He wants to take us. He as the Good Shepherd is always listening to us when we call to Him.
Do we really belong to His flock? Do we know Him? How many times have we felt His loving grace calling us and helping us back to the safety and security of His sheepfold. Do we listen to Him calling to us? This call comes to us in different ways: in the depths of our hearts, in the scriptures that are read, in a sermon, through a book or the good example of our neighbors. How do we recognize Him as our Good Shepherd who leads us to the true pasture? How often do we turn somewhere else, perhaps to a hired or strange man who lets us down when we need help most?
We by our baptism have been united with Christ. We belong to His sheepfold and enjoy His special care as the Good Shepherd. As sheep, where do you turn in times of depression or when you are “crippled” because things do not go your way?
St. Peter tells us that for all the names in world given to men, it is only in the name of Jesus that we can be saved. The Jews became God’s children through the promise God gave to Abraham their ancestor but they lost this special pelage because of their refusal or neglect to believe in Jesus and belong to His sheepfold. Hence Jesus said they were children of the devil (John 8:44). They failed to recognize Him from His works and would not follow Him.
In addition, however it is not enough that we have Good Sheep. We ourselves must also be good shepherds. Just as Christ conceals Himself in our neighbor, so He also wants to conceal Himself in us as the Good Shepherd. Let us be a good shepherd to all who are entrusted to our care. Every good deed we perform on behalf of our fellow men and women is a proof that we are playing the part of the Good Shepherd to others. Every one ought to be a good shepherd in his or her own particular environment. Even the poor man living alone in his little hut can be a good shepherd – by his prayers, his sufferings, his example and above all in deed by his clarity.
For as St. Thomas Aquinas said, no one can be a Good Shepherd unless he is united with Christ through charity, thus becoming a member of the true shepherd. “The office of a Good Shepherd is charity”. Jesus has given us an example to follow in His footsteps. As He made the greatest of sacrifices for us, so we must make sacrifices for Him and on behalf of others.
Every Christian is called to the witness of and brotherly love peculiar of a Good Shepherd by virtue of our Baptism. Some are called to the priesthood or religious life. This is a call, which by its very nature demands a total self-band giving and following in the footsteps of Christ, leader priest and shepherd. He continues His care for men as the Good Shepherd through those called to this life of total dedication and service for His kingdom.
Our celebration of the Good Shepherd today offers each and every one of an opportunity to reflect on our attitude to the vocation to the religious life and the priesthood. Christ continues His work as the Good Shepherd in a special way through His priests whom He uses as an instrument to bring the supernatural life to His faithful sheep, His people.
If today you hear this voice, harden not your hearts. Do not turn a deaf ear. Parents, you too have a role to play in an important obligation this need. Vocations do not just drop from heaven. Even Jesus Himself did not suddenly appear from heaven. He was born of a woman and grew up in a good Jewish family. You parents, then have an important obligation of cooperating with possible vocations in your family. Some parents see a vocation as an interference with their own plans for their children’s welfare.
Of course, however generous we are, God will certainly be more generous to us. What we can give to God is very small compared to what He will give to us. If your children wish to serve God as priests and religious, your duty is to encourage and help them in every possible way. In this manner, you have a share in the salvation of souls.
What more can we do? As Jesus Himself taught us, prayer is the ultimate essential – “pray therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send laborers into His harvest.”
This celebration of Good Shepherd Sunday is also designated as World day of Prayer for Vocations. Let us, in communion with all other Catholics worldwide, raise our prayer to the Lord of the harvest that He will send laborers into his harvest who will continue to pasture Christ’s sheep in the midst of present confusion and danger.
May the fire of zeal for souls be kindled in the hearts of our youth so that they listen eagerly and lovingly to Christ’s call whenever it comes to them. And may the parents too listen to God as He reveals to them His wish for their children as His special ministers.
As we pray for more priests after the example of Jesus, the High Priest and Good Shepherd, let us also pray for perseverance on the part of today’s priests and their protection against error or confusion of any kind.
In this way, may Christ the Good Shepherd continue to lead us His sheep along the right path to our time and eternal home in heaven. This is our wish. May this be so for each and every one of us through the same Christ, our Good Shepherd.
Let us pray that God will give us the grace to always recognize and follow Christ the Good Shepherd who leads us faithfully to the green pastures of eternity in heaven. He will surely hear and answer us in whatever distress we find ourselves.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
