Good Shepherd Sunday Homily 2020
Bacolod diocese - Negros, Philippines, 3 May 2020 -- The Good Shepherd is one of the most loved images of Jesus among Christians. In fact, the earliest icon of Jesus found in the catacombs of Rome depicts him as a shepherd carrying a sheep on his shoulders. The reason for this special fondness for the image is obvious. The presence of the shepherd is for the sheep an assurance of pasture and security, as vividly portrayed in the responsorial Psalm 23 that we’ve just recited.
Above all, what makes the image of the Good Shepherd most endearing is the unique relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. It is a special relationship built on a bond of reciprocal knowledge and love. The shepherd knows his sheep, and the sheep know him. He calls each one by name, and they recognize his voice. The shepherd loves his sheep and is ready to lay down his life for them. In turn, the sheep surrender themselves in total trust and follow the shepherd’s voice, not the stranger’s, to wherever it leads them.
What a relationship! Can you imagine a man willing to give up his life to save an animal? Yet, that is precisely what Jesus did for us. He who is God died so that we who are human (and sinful) may live. This is the kind of relationship the Lord calls us to - a bond of mutual knowledge and love. He wants us to know him as he knows us, and to love him as he loves us. We can concretely respond to his invitation by acquiring the attitudes of listening and following.
To know Jesus is to listen to his voice. With many competing voices surrounding us, can we recognize the Shepherd’s call? Do we give time to listen to his Word each day? Before Pope John Paul II died, he expressed his one wish for every family to have a bible (NMI, 39), not just to be enshrined at the family altar but to be read daily. Do we also take time to listen to him in prayer, in our moments of solitude, as well as in the daily happenings of our life?
Years ago, there was a popular story often told at ordinations which I heard several times in different versions. It’s about an old missionary who returned to his hometown to celebrate his golden anniversary as priest. During the testimonial dinner, an orator eloquently declaimed Psalm 23 and was loudly applauded by the audience. At the end of the program, when told to give his response, the old priest asked if he could just recite his favorite prayer, Psalm 23. When he finished, there was no sound in the hall, only tears in everyone’s eyes. On their way home, the orator’s son asked, “Dad, why was it that when you recited the psalm people clapped, but when the priest recited the same psalm, everyone was silent?” The orator replied, “It’s because I know the psalm, but Father knows the Shepherd.”
Only when we truly know the Shepherd can we follow him and become like him. To follow Jesus is to follow him all the way to Calvary. As Jesus proved his love for us by his death, we prove our love for him by being crucified with him. This is what makes following Jesus (discipleship) exceedingly difficult and daunting. But Jesus asks us not to fear because, as a shepherd, he goes ahead of us.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s leading expert on infectious diseases, was once asked by David Rubenstein why he personally treated patients suffering from ebola (a highly lethal virus) when he could just assign any one of his associates. Dr. Fauci’s reply was, “I am not willing to ask my staff to put themselves at risk of getting infected when I’m not willing to do it myself.”
In today’s second reading, Peter reminds us that “Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should follow in his footsteps.” Indeed, the Lord does not lead us to any place where he himself has not gone first. And what is even more reassuring is that when we follow him, he takes us beyond the cross and leads us to the full life he has promised and won by his resurrection. “I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly.”
As we pass through these dreadful days of the pandemic, let us turn to the Good Shepherd for comfort. “Lord, be our shepherd and we shall not be lacking… though we walk in this dark valley, we do not fear for you are with us… surely goodness and kindness will follow all our days until you finally bring us home.” Amen
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The celebration of Good Shepherd Sunday naturally invites us to remember all the pastors of the Church: the Pope, bishops, priests and consecrated persons. We pray for them today that they may remain faithful to their vocation and mission, and that through them we may experience the loving presence of Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Finally, the Church keeps this Sunday as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Let us also pray that many more young people may heed to the Good Shepherd’s call to follow him, particularly in the priestly and religious life.
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