Recognizing voices are important. I remember quite clearly that as a little boy I would walk my little sister home from school, open the front gate and wait to hear the voice of my grandmother greeting us from the front porch as we arrived safe and sound. Voices familiar to us are quite comforting.
As people of faith the voice of the Good Shepherd is comforting to us; it is the voice that leads us safely home, even in challenging times like these.
Today we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, as we read the 10th chapter of the Gospel of St. John. The image of a shepherd would be one that almost everyone in that day could relate to. Being a shepherd was a pretty popular profession as sheep were plentiful throughout the area. The image of a shepherd would also be one that devout Jews knew from reading the Scriptures. Moses tended flocks as did King David who wrote the much loved 23rd psalm The Lord is my Shepherd which we just prayed together. Isaiah used the image of sheep in prophesying the coming of a Messiah.
Shepherds were thought of as tough but caring men. They would do everything they could to keep their flock safe. Often, when just one sheep would stray or face imminent danger, the shepherd would leave the flock to save the most vulnerable. The shepherd’s voice was important to caring for his sheep. Although not very smart creatures, sheep would come to recognize the voice of their shepherd and the good shepherds would come to recognize each of his sheep by their distinctive sound.
In our Gospel today Jesus talks also of the gate. We probably have an image of the shepherd herding his sheep into a corral and closing a gate behind him to keep the sheep together. This is not the case in early Palestine. The sheep were moving, in constant search for scare patches of grass and water. Shepherds, at the end of the day, literally would herd the sheep along the walls of a hill or a cliff and then close them in by becoming the gate. Yes, the shepherd would literally lay his body down across the open area and become the gate. The sheep would never leave the area once the shepherd laid his body down to keep them safe.
Do you know when we arrive at this Good Shepherd discourse in John’s Gospel? It occurs immediately after Jesus chastises the Pharisees for their ill treatment of the man born blind. Jesus knew that the Pharisees should have been for that man, that one lost sheep, a good shepherd. They were not. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, recognizes the voice of His lost one, finds him, cures him and leads him safely home. The Good Shepherd, Jesus, does this for each one of us too.
A Good Shepherd also finds food for his flock. Jesus feeds us with His body and blood. Of course many of us are missing this precious opportunity now as we await that opportunity again, and hopefully soon.
A Good Shepherd leads his flock on the right path. Jesus teaches us the fullness of truth, the right path that leads us safely home. A Good Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, Jesus, the Good Shepherd is the Gate, by laying down His life for us; He is the Gate through which we must pass to spend eternal life with Him inside the gates of Heaven. This act of the Good Shepherd is not an act of weakness, no! He willingly lays down His life for us in order to save us. A Good Shepherd prepares others to be shepherds of the flock too. And many shepherds have come in time to shepherd His flock, the church, the people of God. He called Peter to be the first shepherd by challenging him to feed my lambs and tend my sheep. That command extends to all the Pope’s and Bishops. Our earthly shepherd today is Pope Francis and our local Bishop Gregory Aymond. Our pastor, Fr.Ken is charged with shepherding this local community of faith we call St. Jane de Chantal and our mission at St. Michael. Do we consistently pray for our leaders? Do we pray for Pope Francis? Do we pray for Archbishop Gregory and our Bishops? Do we pray for our Pastor, Father Ken? By the way the word Pastor is actually a Latin word for Shepherd!
Since we are the sheep of the flock and God has given us His Shepherds, do we follow the our Shepherds who only strive to guide us as Spiritual Fathers? In this time of uncertainty and challenge it is evident that for many it has been difficult to follow our Good Shepherds. Perhaps it is understanding that we feel challenged but as the faithful flock we must follow the plan that God laid out for us; a hierarchial church with Shepherds called Priests and Bishops. For us, these Shepherds need our prayers, our support and yes, our obedience. Their voice is the voice of the Good Shepherd, and we are the faithful sheep.
Today we also celebrate Vocations. It has been a long tradition to speak of vocations on Good Shepherd Sunday. And so we must.
We should pray for vocations every day and we should pray specifically for vocations from our own parish. Among our own is someone called to the vocation of the priesthood! Among our own family members there may be someone called to the vocation of the priesthood! Priests do not just arrive; they are called from among us. In a few short weeks, even among this Coronavirus crisis Archbishop Aymond will ordain 3 men to the Priesthood and 5 to the Transitional Diaconate! The seminaries are at record levels of enrollment. Still Priests retire and then sometimes we lose our Priests; just recently we have lost nearly 200 active Priests worldwide to this Covid19. We always need good shepherds, that is why we must pray and support our vocation efforts!
So remember that show The Voice? It's all about recognizing the voice of a good singer. For us , the sheep of His flock, it’s all about hearing the voice of the Good Shepherd, leading us safely through the Gate. When my sister and I returned home from school everyday it was the voice of my grandma that greeted us as we entered through that old yet familiar gate and we knew we were home safely. How much more joy, how much more glory will it be when we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd and we let Him lead us, his sheep, through His gate safely home, all the way home. When he calls us don’t forget to answer: Baaaaah!
Thank you Jesus for being our Good Shepherd, thank you for the gift of those Good Shepherds, Bishops and Priests, our Pastor, and thank you for the gifts of those who are on their way discerning their vocation. And thank you for letting us be your faithful and obedient sheep.
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