Being a Good Shepherd

04-21-2024Weekly ReflectionFr. Bing Colasito

The first three Sundays of Easter bring us back to the days after the resurrection and deepen our understanding and appreciation of the meaning of the empty tomb. The Lord has Risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Using the oldest yet the most common occupation in His time, Jesus uses the imagery of shepherding, a hint of His sacrifice and mission. He is the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. On Good Shepherd Sunday, our Easter journey continues, knowing that we are in the watchful care of the Divine GOOD Shepherd.

Jesus identifies Himself as a shepherd, but a Good Shepherd, different from the hired shepherds, who have no genuine concern for the flock. A Shepherd willing to give His life for the sheep, freely and willingly. On the other hand, a hired shepherd gives His service not for free but for a fee. Hired shepherds are not genuinely concerned about the flock but are there for the money. What we need in our society is a good shepherd whose heart is to serve not for a fee but for free. Someone with a deep love for the sheep, ready to die rather than lose a sheep. Sacrificing our life for others makes no sense to many just like the sacrifice of Jesus, which seems foolishness and useless for unbelievers, but for believers, a redemptive sacrifice. The image of a self sacrificing shepherd shows His great love for us. His sacrifice is proof of that love for us, that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)

Divine love is truly the love of the Father to His children, An Extraordinary Love. St. John speaks of this love as much greater than the shepherd’s care for his sheep. God is love. (1 Jn. 4:8) God the Father bestowed His love for us by allowing us to be called His children. Reflecting on this, we realize that His love is a gift given to us freely, not because we deserve it or have done something to earn it. But because that is His nature, as a father loves His children because they are His children, God the Father loves all His children through His only Son, Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that He sent us His only begotten Son.

A Good Shepherd knows His sheep, and the sheep know Him. Between the sheep and shepherd exists a close and intimate relationship. A good shepherd must be in touch with His sheep. Pope Francis describes this as smelling like a sheep. A good shepherd does not mind smelling like His sheep. He is generous with His time and His talents. He removes all the barriers for the sheep to approach him.

As a priest, I should be a bridge between God and His people. How to do this? Priests should help people connect with God through prayer and help them see the finger of God in the many facets of their lives. If Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, priests and parents, as Good Shepherds, should take seriously the responsibility of handing down or teaching their children how to pray. The HOME should be the first place to reenact the Last Supper through their family meal. The meal is the perfect setting for the parents to share the values dear to them and be examples of good Christian parents.

Because we have a Good Shepherd, all of us, His sheep, can hope for salvation in Jesus Christ, who offered Himself as a ransom for our sins. He is our only salvation. There is no salvation in anyone else, for no other name in the WHOLE WORLD given to men by which would be saved. Jesus is the Good Shepherd that unites us in one flock: He is the Son who made possible our becoming adopted children of the Father. Praise be the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Good Shepherd