In today’s Gospel, Jesus says “my sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (see John 10:27). The discourse about “the Good Shepherd” is part of a larger teaching found in all of chapter ten of John’s Gospel. We are taught that Jesus is our “pastor” and that we are his faithful “flock.”
As we contemplate this, we might think of those in our lives who help us to understand the simple relationship between a “pastor” and his or her “sheep.” We might ask: “who are those in whom we have great confidence and with whom we feel very safe?” I believe such people can give us great insight into the trusting relationship that exists between “pastor” and “flock.” Accordingly, we might even say they have actually been kinds of “pastors,” and as such have really been instruments of Jesus in our lives! Perhaps, they have been our parents who have always guided us to do the right things and who have helped us to be good people and productive members of society. Perhaps, our “pastors” have been our best friends who have always been with us in both good and bad times. Or perhaps, they have been our teachers, or the many ministers of our Church, and they have effectively shared their wisdom or the truth of our faith with us. I'm sure each of us can think of people who have done these things for us. And isn’t it true that we need these men and women in order to grow in wisdom and knowledge, and to find satisfaction within our lives? And of course, we also may have been like “pastors” to those we have ourselves mentored and guided.
At the same time, we know there are people around us who are the complete opposites of these kinds of “pastors,” and in whom we ought never to place our trust. In fact, Jesus warns us that some of those whom we might otherwise assume to be “pastors” and “guides,” are actually not trustworthy at all (see John 10:1-21). These people will turn away from us at times when there are problems, and/or when we have things going on in our lives that are difficult to bear. In the earlier verses of chapter ten, Jesus had referred to these people as “thieves and robbers.” They are like those who abandon the sheep by walking away when they see the wolf coming. Maybe we have had the misfortune of knowing people like this in our own lives; perhaps, they have even pretended to be our friends, but then left us when they realized that we needed some kind of help, or when we had difficulties, or when an uncomfortable situation in our lives needed resolution.
With all of this in mind, I believe an important message in today’s Gospel is that we must be careful who we choose to “pastor” us. Jesus offers himself as the model, and so as we gather to celebrate our faith in him, our Good Shepherd, we profess confidence that he will always protect and guide us.
As we continue to celebrate this Easter season, we are grateful we have the Risen Jesus, our pastor whose voice we hear, and whom we always desire to follow! May we also and always be grateful to those in our lives who forever mirror the pastor’s love for us!
Christ is Risen, Truly, He is Risen, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Praise God! Friar Timothy
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