Homily for the Week of April 29, 2012

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, 2012 First Reading: Acts 4:8–12 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 118:1, 8–9, 21–23, 26, 28, 29 Second Reading: 1 John 3:1–2 Gospel: John 10:11–18 We are introduced today to one of the familiar themes of the Bible: sheep and shepherds. I met my first shepherd when I was 28 while traveling through Colorado. He was a young man on horseback surrounded by his two dogs and a few hundred sheep, and vast fields and the Rocky Mountains. Many say that sheep are dumb. Others say this idea was started by cattle ranchers. What is true is that cows and sheep respond to their caretakers differently. Cows are herded from the rear. I remember when I was a young boy I used to drive the cows from the pasture to the barn for milking. There was always one or two cows that were the first and a few dragging behind. I was always behind the cows and shout and make noise and if necessary push and prod them to make them move forward. If you attempt this with sheep, sheep will run to get behind you. Sheep have to be led from the front not pushed from the back. A herd of cows will move no matter who makes the noise. They may at first perk up their ears to find out who it is, but they will go. Sheep will only follow a voice that they have grown to trust, that is, their particular shepherd and will follow no other. I have always admired cows. In fact I am alive right now because a cow gave me her aortic heart valve to replace my defective aortic valve. The Bible is filled with men called shepherds of God’s people, and often they had been shepherds of sheep before becoming leaders of God’s people. Examples include Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as well as Moses and David. Even God is portrayed as a shepherd in the psalms, especially the Twenty-third Psalm which is known as the Good Shepherd Psalm. The prophet Ezekiel presents shepherds in an unflattering light so that he can reveal God’s promise to be a model shepherd for the people. Synopsis A shepherd has many responsibilities, primarily to keep the sheep fed, to care for their health and injuries, and to keep them gathered together in order to protect them. In fulfilling these duties, a bond develops between sheep and shepherd. In today's Gospel reading St. John contrasts Jesus with the hired shepherd. There were two kinds of shepherds: the hired man and the owner. A hired shepherd never quite developed the same bond as did a shepherd who owned his sheep. The Gospel makes clear the hired man was only interested in money. He would not give his life for someone else's sheep. Such shepherds were also known to help themselves to a sheep or two. The owner of the flock was someone who would do anything to protect his flock. The flock was his livelihood. Sheep were not used for food, they were kept for their wool. The more sheep, the more wool, the more money. No owner would risk losing his income. Over a lifetime a sheep could provide a nice income for the owner. This is one reason an owner-shepherd would be quick to defend his sheep against thieves and predators. Each sheep was valuable. A hired shepherd, however, would not be so quick to risk life and limb to protect the sheep. Confronted with wolves, an owner will stand and fight; a hired shepherd might run for the hills. Jesus describes himself as the “good” shepherd. This does not mean skilled shepherd or good as opposed to bad. The word "good" here has the sense of being a model. The good/model shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The model shepherd will protect his flock at all costs. We learn that the Father loves Jesus precisely because of this willingness to sacrifice for God’s sheep. Jesus tells us too that His relationship with us is as intimate as His relationship with His Father: “I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” Jesus has to know us intimately in order to have this close relationship with us. We know that priests, by virtue of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, act in the person of Christ when leading us in worship and sacrament. A priest always remembers — or should remember — that to act in the person of Christ does not make him Christ. Sheep are led, but they will follow only a voice they trust. What do we want from our priests? What we want is for our priests to shepherd us, to lead us to Christ, just as a shepherd leads his flock to green pastures. (The word “pastor” means “shepherd.”) The problem is this: before we can be led, we must learn to follow, and not too many of us are good followers. Some are taught from childhood not to be followers. Everything in our culture tells us to be leaders, to be captains of our own ship, to control our own destinies. We want to be led by our priests, but what we might really need from our priests is a model of how to follow. On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we pray that men and women in our midst will actually listen for The Shepherd in their lives and then follow. (The word “vocation” comes from a verb meaning “to call.”) Peter is put in a position of having to defend himself. He has miraculously cured a cripple. No one doubted the miracle, but he is questioned about his right to perform a miracle. Who gave him the authority to do this? Too often we are the challengers demanding to know who gave our religious leaders the right to lead when what they are doing is trying to teach us to follow the Lord.