4th Sunday of Easter
Confirmation
April 30, 2023
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen
The Need for a Shepherd
I am the proud owner of a golden retriever named Bayley. He is seven years old, and I am happy to say that there’s a lot of puppy left in him. Some have said that I am lucky to have Bayley as a guard dog, and indeed, Bayley has a deep, throaty bark, that resonates. (In fact, you might even hear him bark during this Mass). Trouble is, he barks at the wrong things, and if we did have a break-in, Bayley would quickly befriend the intruder and point out anything valuable. “Perhaps you should have gotten a German shepherd,” someone told me.
A shepherd I need, but not in the form of a guard dog. For like all of you, I realize how easily I might be robbed. I don’t mean money or possessions or power or position. No, I am talking about something much more valuable than any of those things. I’m talking about being robbed of joy. Robbed of truth. Robbed of friendship. Robbed of my relationship with God. Robbed of eternal life. This is what the thief Jesus refers to in the Gospel is after. The thief is the evil one and human beings who do the devil’s bidding. They invade our enclosure not just to take what we have, but to rob us of who we are and who we are called to be by the grace of Baptism. Indeed, we need a shepherd!
The Good Shepherd
The Risen Lord now stands in our midst as our shepherd. Let us humbly acknowledge his presence in our midst, for when Scripture is read it is Christ who speaks and when Bread is broken, it is Christ’s sacrificial love we share in. Yes, Jesus is in our midst and wants nothing more than to be our shepherd. We should want nothing more than to be members of his flock. For the Risen Lord is both the gate and the shepherd who leads us to the green pastures of his love, where we are safe from those who would rob and plunder us.
When Jesus speaks of a flock of sheep, he doesn’t mean to say that we, the People of God, are aimless dullards. No, he means that he sees in us something that is good, something lovable, just as a loving mother sees the good even in a child who tends to go astray. Who is Jesus referring to when he speaks of the gatekeeper? Most likely, he is referring to his heavenly Father, for it is the God Father who entrusted the flock to Jesus the Shepherd. Why, then, does Jesus refer to himself as both the gate and the Shepherd? Perhaps Jesus means to remind us that he is “the way out and the way in” – that Jesus is the way that leads us out of sin and into the bosom of his Father. As Jesus says elsewhere, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
And what kind of a shepherd is Jesus? Jesus is good, supremely good, and loves us “more than we can ask or imagine”. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He loves us more than we love ourselves. He believes in us more than we believe in him. He calls us by name. He came not to rob us but to give us life, a new and abundant life … a life that begins here and now and that will last forever in the Kingdom of Heaven.
And Jesus’ love for us and for his Father is not mere words. It received its highest expression on the Cross where he died to save us. Isn’t this what St. Peter is driving at in our second reading? Peter tells us that Jesus committed no sin yet suffered for our sins. He was insulted but returned no insult. He was wounded, but by his wounds we were healed. In a word, the Guardian and Shepherd of our souls is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.”
Our Response
When, at length, the love of the Shepherd overtakes our hearts, and we begin to understand in faith and hope how much he loves us, how, then, are we to respond? Let me briefly suggest three responses.
First, in a moment of quiet prayer, perhaps as you listen to the voice of the Shepherd in Scripture or just before you receive him in the Eucharist … claim Jesus as your shepherd. Repeat the words Psalm 23 over and over again, “The Lord is my shepherd.” Greet his voice with faith, his nudges with hope, his face with the gaze of love. Let him guide you through the dark valleys of your life, whatever they may be. Let him lead you to the table he has set for you, the banquet of his sacrifice, the Mass. Entrust your cares to him, share with him your weaknesses, allow him to lead you to the green pastures of his pure and infinite love. This is the only place where our hungering souls find nourishment and rest.
Second, rejoice to be a part of the flock, the people that Jesus has made his own. The Church of which we are a part is made up of saints and sinners. Its history is littered with leaders who have gone astray and who have harmed the flock. The temptation to which many have succumbed is to run away, understandably so. Yet, we are the Lord’s flock, the people he has made his own, and he loves and saves us, not merely as individuals, but as a people, a people with whom entered into an eternal covenant, sealed with his own blood.
Third, I would invite you to lead by following, following in the footsteps of the Shepherd, who is Lord and Savior. At this moment, the Shepherd is inviting us to follow him, to be his disciples. No one can lead well or wisely in the Church unless he or she first follows, and learns from the Shepherd who is poor in spirit, pure of heart, humble and self-giving. When we pray for our priests or for vocations to the priesthood, you are praying that all of us will have the heart and mind of the Good Shepherd … that we will not rob or despoil but be agents and ministers of the new and abundant life that Jesus won for us by his Cross and Resurrection. This is also true of the laity who assume roles of co-responsibility in the Church— those who form the young, guide ministries, oversee the Church’s stewardship, and this includes those who embrace the vocation of marriage and serve as “shepherds” of their domestic churches, their households.
It is also true of all of you who are involved in Church personnel matters – in supporting those who are employed by the Church and serve its ministries, in addressing problems both large and small, and in reaching difficult decisions – conscious of the human dignity of the individual and the good of the Church. Every day, you shepherd, that is, “oversee” policies as well as individuals – in central services, parishes, schools, and social ministries – and I know from experience how challenging your ministry can be. All the more reason for us to resort to Jesus the Good Shepherd for wisdom and love.
Conclusion
Jesus, Good Shepherd, we thank you. Pour your love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that we, as members of your flock, may follow you all the days of our lives. Amen!