shepherds

"Jesus said: 'I am the good shepherd.

A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own,

sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,

and the wolf catches and scatters them.

This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.

I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me,

just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.

These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,

and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. 

I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.

This command I have received from my Father.'"

Jn 10:11-18

Most of us have grown up with the idea of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and probably haven't given the it much additional thought. However, the fact that Jesus uses the terminology of the good shepherd is intriguing. As I understand it, in the time of Christ, shepherds weren't exactly, well... viewed in a positive light. They were viewed among the lowest of the low - right there with tax collectors and Samaritans. Yep. That's right.  

In the context of the time, I think it's safe to say that Jesus was making a statement to his fellow men not only about loving and accepting all people, but also that, as he taught his apostles, in order to lead, the greatest must become the least. It's a statement that holds true for us today. To lead others to Christ, to bear witness to him, we have to be willing to be the least - in a sense, to be shepherds - to be among those held in low esteem. Hmmm. Worth serious thought, but harder than hard to put into action, right? Yeah, I know. Believe me, I know. 

Along the lines of shepherds, though shifting gears a bit... you know, I think we're all called to lead others to Christ, but we're called to do that in different ways. Those different ways are called vocations. The word vocation has its root in the Latin vocare - a verb that means "to call" - so it's no surprise that when we talk about vocations, we often speak of people being "called" to a specific state of life. 

For those of us who are Catholic, the Fourth Sunday of Easter (that would be today!) is known as "Good Shepherd Sunday," and is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. 

Every vocation is important - priestly, consecrated, married, single - and we should pray for each other in whatever state of life we're in - but it's vital for us to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. The people of God are in constant need of holy priestly shepherds to guide us along the way of Christ, and although vocations are up, we need more. We also need to dedicate time to praying for those who are already ordained and serve in our parishes - pray for their holiness, their strength, their health, and that they may follow the example of Christ to truly be good shepherds for his people - that they may be willing to make sacrifices, to be servant-shepherd-leaders who lay down their lives for the people, and to be faithful to the promises they have made to live out their vocations in single mindedness, at the service of the Gospel of Christ. 

"Shepherd me, oh God, beyond my hopes, beyond my fears, from death into life."