Sunday Sermon: the Good Shepherd who leads his sheep to safe pastures

The liturgy of the fourth Sunday of Easter is based on the following readings: Acts 2:14,36-41; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:20-25; John 10:1-10. The central point of this liturgy is on the celebration of Jesus Christ as the Good Shepherd. Jesus uses this image in reference to himself in St. John’s Gospel. He is the gate; all who pass through the gate will be saved. He is the Good Shepherd who leads his sheep to safe pastures. He says this knowing well that there are brigands, thieves and strangers who want to steal, to kill and to destroy the sheep. Psalm 23 stresses the bucolic image of the Lord as a protecting shepherd. Even though it may be necessary to suffer the persecution of enemies, the psalmist assures us of the overwhelming security of the Lord’s presence and protection. The same idea is brought forward by St. Peter in the second reading, with reference to Isaiah 53 as he recalls how Jesus Christ takes on himself the task of re-uniting the sheep; as the shepherd and guardian of our souls whenever we go astray. And Peter advises us to be responsible and repenting Christians by returning to the Lord’s flock and receive the Holy Spirit. These readings explain to us the ministerial priesthood. The metaphor needs to be understood correctly; the priest is one who, by his consecration, lives for others. In our modern world, some may look at it both suspiciously or negatively as a kind of escapism, where certain passivity is adopted which is far from the stress of more worldly occupations. With this uninformed background, a shepherd may be thought of as someone who calmly watches, with little else to do, while his sheep pasture at leisure. On the contrary, a quick and realistic glance at the state of the “flock” reveals a much more urgent situation, where the presence of the shepherd is still necessary. Consequently, priests need to find a way, with courage and imagination, of working with a hermetically sealed secular society. In such a case, priests will definitely need to bear the burden of possible indifference and rejection in order to carry on Christ’s work of saving people’s lives without being shy about it. It is encouraging to note however, that there is a renewal of priestly vocations which may have something to do with the renewal of pastoral ways in the Church. In our age which is vastly technical and specialized, nothing substitutes for a shepherd’s love. It is rather that pastoral voice and love that seek to go beyond the ordinary ways of doing things by calling for a change whenever the image of God in man starts fainting. By describing Jesus as the authentic shepherd, the evangelist brings to our mind someone sleepless, far-sighted, weather-beaten, leaning on his staff, and looking out over his scattered sheep, every one of them on his heart. Throughout the Old Testament, God is featured as the shepherd of his people, providing for their every need (Ps. 23), leading them to safe pasture (Ps 77:20) and stepping in to replace those who had been entrusted with the care of his people when these proved unworthy. As we meditate on our liturgy we understand Jesus’ role in the gospel of John in the light of, and as a fulfillment of the promises made in Ezekiel 34: “I myself will look after and tend my sheep. . . I will rescue them, give them rest. . . the lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal. . .”. In appreciation of the blessings we get from Jesus, good Shepherd and Gate to fullness of life, we are reminded of the necessity of carefully listening to his voice. It is only with that deliberate and daily attentiveness that will enable us to remain the authentic disciples of the Good Shepherd. Ends