Jesus, the Good Shepherd

April 26^th,2014   Sunday  Homily   Fr.Francis Chirackal CMI

Good Shepherd Acts 4: 8-12; I Jn 3: 1-2; Jn 10:11-18

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In Karnataka State of South India, one of the occupations of people is sheep rearing. Certain rich families may be having 5000 to 10000 sheep. These sheep are grouped into different flocks of 200 to 500, and each flock is looked after by one or two shepherds. Usually they pasture them together at public fields and bushy forests. Evening when they come back we could see some of the shepherds holding the younger and weak ones in their hands. Once they reached, first they gather them together. At the sound of the shepherds, the sheep runs to their own shepherd and gathers around them. After making it sure that all of his sheep are present and everyone is OK he leads them to shed. If he finds anyone is missing, first he will search in other groups, and if finds, he will bring it back to his flock. If not found, the shepherd goes in search of that sheep until he finds it. Again in the morning each shepherd goes to the flock and makes similar sound. All sheep will get up and gather around him. Once all the shepherds get their flocks ready, they lead them to the pasture. This process repeats everyday. I could see how these sheep recognize and follow their shepherd’s voice and follow him and at the same time how these shepherds take care of each and every sheep. Whenever I read or hear Jesus as Good Shepherd, memory of this beautiful scene comes to my mind.

This Sunday is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The scripture readings are about shepherds. We specially reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, devotedly taking care of his flock.   Just as a shepherd Jesus leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects us, His flock. In today's first reading, Peter asserts before the Jewish assembly that there is no salvation except through Christ the Good Shepherd. In the second reading, John tells us how Yahweh the Good Shepherd of the Old Testament expressed His love for us through His Son Jesus, by making us His children. The Gospel text offers us both comfort and challenge. The comforting good news is that Jesus the Good Shepherd knows us, provides for us and loves us.  The challenge is that we should be good shepherds to those entrusted to our care and also we should be the good sheep in Christ’s flock. 

Jesus gives eternal life to us by receiving us into his sheepfold through Baptism. He strengthens our faith by giving us his Holy Spirit.  He supplies food for our souls by the Holy Eucharist and by the divine words of the holy Bible.  He makes our society holy by the sacraments of matrimony and the priesthood.   He protects us, as we are easy prey for the spiritual wolves of this world: that also includes the seven deadly sins of   pride, avarice, envy, gluttony, anger, lust and sloth. Jesus heals the wounds of our souls and strengthens us in illness and old age.

God gives us his shepherds to His flock. We, the Catholics and even the world today is happy of getting our holy Father Pope Francis as our shepherd. He exhorted all the pastors to know the smell of the sheep and take care of them. He always sets an example and shows us the way we need to imitate and follow Christ our Good Shepherd and to remain as a good sheep in His flock. In one way or the other, all of us are both shepherds and sheep. Every one who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd.  Hence pastors, parents, spouses, siblings, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, neighbors, politicians and without exception at one stage or the other, in one way or the other all are shepherds who have the responsibility to take care of the other.  

We become good shepherds, by loving those who are entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers. God doesn’t want us to be the wolves, who, scatter and destroy the sheep with selfish motives and interests. Today’s faith communities, families, societies, the world at large are in need of true and sincere shepherds, who have the real readiness to dedicate their life for the entrusted flock. We may see wolves in sheep-skin, even in the Church communities, waiting for the chances to feast on the given sheep or leading with tricky words and false claims. There are shepherds who try to get extra respect by cheating their flock with false claims and hypocrisy. Their real nature will be seen only at prudent and wise look. There are incidents of misleading the sheep by the shepherds itself. So the sheep should be prudent enough to understand their shepherds even by looking at the friends and associates of their shepherds. Jesus was associated with many people who had bad reputation in the society. But, as the end result, Jesus brought them back to his fold, He did not become a part of their fold. He did not feast on their generosity and praises. Today, we should be prudent like serpents, in understanding and accepting our shepherds’ language as Jesus says, there may be thieves and back door entries. We should help, support and pray for our good shepherds and also we should pray for  and help the straying shepherds with timely and appropriate reminds and corrections, so that no soul will be lost. There are thousands of holy, hard working, and dedicated shepherds who need our prayerful support. Let us support them with our prayers.

 Let us pray for vocations to priestly and religious life, so that, we may have more holy and Spirit-filled shepherds to lead, feed and protect our catholic faith communities, the flock of Christ, our Good Shepherd. Let us pray for our Holy Father Pope Francis, our bishops, and clergies and religious. Let us be the responsible part of Christ’s flock. Let us be the part of rejoicing community. God bless you.