Almighty ever living God, lead us to share in the joys of heaven,
so that the humble flock may reach where
the brave Shepherd has gone before.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives an reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
It is not that unusual at certain times of the year to notice a very large flock of Canada geese flying high in the sky in a clear “V” shape. You’ve probably had the same scene appear for you at times. You may be driving in an open area yet cannot avoid being amazed by this flight pattern of geese. It has something to do with the physical flow of air over the wings of one goose to another behind. An amazing instinctual creation indeed.
We’ve seen this also with schools of fish in the Ocean
who swarm together in gentle movements following each other in unity. We could go on about what God has designed in
nature in regard to instinctual behavior for survival of a species. These
sorts of natural patterns may indeed remind us of Jesus’ words on this fourth
Sunday of Easter.
In our Gospel from John, we hear Jesus say today: “My
sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Yet, unlike birds or fish, sheep do not
exactly follow a pattern. They tend to wander aimlessly at times. If one strays from the group, they cannot
find their way back. It is often said
that sheep are not the brightest of animals and that is true. The only way back
is to hear the voice of the shepherd who goes in search of them. If they are surrounded by wolves, for
example, they cannot defend themselves and remain vulnerable to attack. So, the
best safety is to stay in the group and listen to the shepherd who cares for
them.
This Easter season Sunday we are invited to define ourselves by the One we follow – Christ the shepherd who makes promises to us far beyond what any human being could make. And by providence, God has now given the Church a new shepherd in the person of Pope Leo XIV! How these readings this Sunday are so perfect to celebrate our new leader who will guide as St. Peter did in the person of Christ,
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus compares us not to
wise geese, or wily fish or mighty lions but to fragile sheep. Do we tend to
wander aimlessly putting ourselves in places of harm? Yes of course we do. It’s called sin or impulsiveness or arrogance
or pride, etc. While we have a God given
free will to choose, we do not always choose wisely because we do so without
the shepherd’s lead. Though nature may teach us something about the social
order and the importance of living and working in unity, we human beings will
often resist conformity.
There is a story about a math teacher who one day
proposed to her young class a simple problem: “If there are one hundred sheep
and one wanders away, how many will be left?” One boy raised his hand and said,
“None.” The teacher commented that this
was a simple problem, and he had better look again. He respectfully said, “I may not be very good
at math, but I do know sheep. If one
wanders, the others will follow.”
And despite our individuality and the insistence these
days on tolerance for differences, we too need to work in unity, united to a
common cause for success. And the
“cause” we align with is our common belief in Jesus Christ who never leads us
astray. Yet, we know to follow this shepherd is no guarantee of a life with no
suffering. Even when those moments come,
this shepherd will stand with us, he will "run to the train wreck" of
our lives if need be and support us.
The Church is where we find that place to encounter
the Lord and to meet him in the Eucharist; to hear his voice in the scriptures,
in the minister (priest) and in the support and inspiration we give to one
another. When Jesus speaks, God speaks.
And this shepherd has paid the ultimate price for us, his sheep; that of
his own life. So, while we may be comfortable with a shepherd image of Jesus,
we cannot deny that this shepherd is courageous, strong, compassionate,
convicted, and filled with right justice.
As we journey with renewed Easter faith, what kind of sheep are we? Are we the ones who hear, listens and follows? Or do we sit on the sidelines, waiting only for the good and comfortable? What about our political ties? Although it is among the two topics we dare not discuss in public, religion and politics, whose voice do we follow when it runs in opposition to what Christ teaches about life, marriage, the economy, justice, the needs of the poor, and our global sense that we are one human family as brothers and sisters created by the same God? Sadly, I think a good number of Catholics these days weigh the value of Church teaching in view of political opinions and policies rather than putting God first.
In our Eucharist, the shepherd calls through his Word
and his Body. He reminds us that are all
his sheep that we can’t simply put in ear plugs for his voice is extended to
everyone and so must our witness to the faith. Hear what he says, seek to learn
the sound of his voice, listen carefully with hope and trust, and then go as
his missionary disciples as this shepherd sends us forth in his name.
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