Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 3, 2020: You had all gone astray like sheep...

You had all gone astray like sheep…

Are you willing to be led by the shepherd?

  A flock of sheep can be startled and scatter without thinking about the consequences; when they are isolated, they freeze in place.  The sheep then need a shepherd to bring them back – the shepherd’s voice refocuses them, bringing their attention back to what is important.  In the Acts of the Apostles, Peter calls upon the house of Israel to repent, to change direction, to turn back to God, to focus on what God is revealing to them.  To repent is to allow themselves to be led by the Lord as their shepherd following the model of Psalm 23:  beside restful waters he leads me.  The psalmist David, who is himself priest-king and shepherd of his people, lets the Lord his shepherd guide him in right paths; he takes comfort in knowing that the Lord is always at his side.

  David’s is a lesson the Pharisees of Jesus’ time seem to have forgotten.  In John's Gospel, although they are supposed to be the shepherds of the people, they have led their flock astray; their sheep will not follow them because sheep do not recognize the voice of strangers, but rather only the voice of the true shepherd, Jesus himself.  In a related image, Jesus likens himself to the gate:  whoever enters through me will be saved, will have life and have it more abundantly.  The Pharisees are not willing to enter through Jesus; they refuse to see in him the shepherd come to guide them to God.

  As the First Letter of Peter reminds us, we all tend to wander from those right paths described in Psalm 23:  you go astray like sheep, he says.  But Christ asks that we follow in his footsteps.  Jesus taught us through his death what love demands of us; so long as we allow Christ’s path to guide us, so long as we turn back to him and respond always from a place of love, we can return to the shepherd and guardian of our souls, dwelling where the Lord is, in love itself.  Only then can we have life more abundantly, joyful, fully aware that life is a gift, and rejoicing in that gift that is love.

This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture class.

Image source:  www.wordclouds.com

Sunday Gospel Reflection, May 7, 2017: Follow in his footsteps...

 Follow in his footsteps… 

Do you believe in Jesus’ power to transform you? 

   In John’s Gospel, the Pharisees have rejected Jesus; they do not believe he was sent by God nor do they consider him God’s messenger.  But Jesus calls them out on this:  whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate, but climbs over elsewhere, is a thief and a robber.  Their narrow vision, focused entirely on their own self-interest, will not allow the Pharisses to recognize that Jesus has been sent by God, not only as shepherd but also as gate, the only – and the only direct – access to the Father.  Jesus, as shepherd, knows them, loves them for who they are, for who they have been created to be, yet they do not listen to him.  Indeed, they run away because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.  Unlike the psalmist in Psalm 23, who knows that the Lord is his shepherd, the Pharisees do not believe in Jesus’ power to save them, to transform them, to give them life more abundantly.

   After Jesus’ death and rising, the Jews are still struggling to understand, still struggling to recognize the power Jesus has in their lives.  In Acts of the Apostles, Peter does not hesitate to proclaim Jesus’ identity:  Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.  As they come to a realization of who Jesus is and was, they ask, What are we to do?  Peter assures them that the promise of Jesus as shepherd and Messiah was made to you and to your children and to all those far off – they have but to follow, to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  Transformed internally, they will be able to follow in his footsteps, as we read in 1 Peter, imitating Jesus’ example through patient suffering – this is their call. For you had gone astray like sheep, Peter writes, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. So allow yourself to be transformed, and live as he lived, confident in his power to save.

   Good Shepherd Sunday teaches us that conversion is not a one-time experience; we must be ever vigilant, following Jesus with care and attention, walking in the dark valley with him, always coming back to the shepherd who cares for us, trusting that God will remain at our side, as we allow ourselves to be transformed by his overflowing love.

This post is based on Fr. Pat's Scripture class.

Image source:  Moodle