The Good shepherd invites us to establish a relationship.
A priest and a rabbi are in a car crash and it's a bad one. Both of their cars are destroyed but amazingly neither one of them is hurt. After they crawl out of their cars, the rabbi says, "So you're a priest. That's interesting; I'm a rabbi. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but we're unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should meet and be friends and live together in peace."
The priest replies, "Oh, yes, I agree. It's a miracle that we survived and are here together."
"And here's another miracle," says priest. "My car is destroyed but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink the wine and celebrate our good fortune," he says, handing the bottle to the Rabbi.
The Rabbi nods in agreement, opens the wine, drinks half of it, and hands it back to the priest.
The priest takes it and puts the cap back on.
"Aren't you going to drink the wine? asks the Rabbi.
"Not right now," says the priest. "I think I'll wait until after the police make their report."
The focus of the story is to establish a relationship. The Rabbi and priest established a relationship. They could talk, laugh and share the bottle of wine.
Establishing the relationship is the theme that runs through all three readings. In the modern world relationship is very important. There is a rat race for money name, fame etc. We forget people and relationship.
In the first reading Paul and Barnabas established a relationship for the sake of spreading the gospel. However, divisions continued to exist in the early Christian community. The Jewish-Gentile divide threatened to endanger the life of the early Christian community. Paul and Barnabas’ challenge was to take the focus off the divide and turn people’s attention on the gospel that unites all people. But there were some Jews who refused to find unity in the gospel. The prospect of sharing faith with the gentiles frightened them. But as the Lord said to Paul, “I have made you a light to the Gentiles that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” The Second Reading taken from the Book of Revelation, tells us of another vision of John in which he sees a countless number of saints who have earned heaven through martyrdom and are now serving God’s throne adoring him and rejoicing. They have established a relationship with God the father. They will not suffer and grieve again as they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Those persons who wear the white garments represent all the Christians who have been chosen by God; those who wear the white garments, they are the living saints who form the fullness of the mystical Body of Christ.
In the gospels Jesus often ministered to people other than the Jews. And in speaking to the Samaritan woman and in setting up the Good Samaritan as a model of Christian love, Jesus tried to bridge the division that existed between people. Jesus has established a relationship. During today’s Gospel Reading Jesus uses the image of the Shepherd and the sheep. The relationship between the shepherd and the sheep is so intimate that it is an extension of the relationship between the Heavenly Father and the Son. We heard the words of Jesus: “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.” In this particular passage from the Gospel of John, Jesus was speaking of His Divine title as the Good Shepherd. The sheep listen to and recognize the voice of their shepherd and that is why they continue to follow him rather than another. It is important for us also to recognize the voice of Jesus as it comes to us in our daily life. Earlier in the same Chapter, Jesus had said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Since Jesus is the Good Shepherd and not a hired hand, he does not run away when the wolf comes, instead he is ready to give his life for his sheep. On the other hand the hired person runs away when the wolf comes, leaving the sheep in danger. Jesus is the Good Shepherd shepherded to the point of giving his life for his sheep, dying on the cross for the sake of humanity.
On this day we are especially asked:
1. First of all to pray that the Church may be provided with the leaders needed to do its work of spreading the Gospel. We know that at the present time there is a critical shortage of such leaders, at least in the traditional sense – priests and religious. But, while we may earnestly pray that our Church is supplied with the leaders it needs, not merely as priests and religious but lay persons who would lead people to God. At the same time we must be clear of the term vocation.
2. We have for too long given a much too narrow meaning to the word ‘vocation’. We tend to limit it to a calling to be a priest or a member of a religious institute. But, in fact, every single one of us has a vocation, as we are being called by God to be spouses, parents, teachers, doctors, and civil servants, running a business, salespersons… or whatever. That is the calling which demands fidelity to God and to the task personally chosen. God is calling every single one of us to work for the Gospel.
3. “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” These three verbs, “Hear, Know and Follow” imply a deep relationship. We are those who have heard his voice. We belong to Christ. We follow him. Our relationship with Christ should motivate us toward our mission. Our mission is to bring those who do not belong to Christ to the fold. We cannot accomplish this by rejection of people. The only way we will accomplish this is through openness and acceptance. Let us strive to become a community of Love. Let this altar be the place where people of every nation, race, people and tongue will worship the Lord.
As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, let us pray to the Lord that we may be His good sheep, listening attentively to His voice, and follow His example of self-giving love. Let us also pray for all our shepherds, especially our religious and political leaders. May they follow the example of Jesus who was willing to serve and lay down His life for His sheep? Jesus our Shepherd is the Way, Truth and Life. He is the one who goes after the lost sheep leaving the ninety-nine to bring it back to the fold. Today let us pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, that many will be inspired to show true love, to the point of sacrificing many other attractive options to become priests of Jesus, to follow him in religious life.
In a few moments, we will receive our Good Shepherd in communion. Let us commit ourselves to him and to his mission. Amen
