May 3, 2009
A friend from Cape Elizabeth, Maine a few days ago excitedly told me about her flourishing sheep barn. A year ago I saw her preparatory work as she converted a storage barn into her latest “green” project. Louise remarked, “Do you know? The Gospel stories mean so much more to me now that I am closer to the land. Jesus was brilliant in using those images and symbols as a way of appealing to the real stuff of life. My sheep have so much to teach me.” “Wow,” I thought. “What an insight to carry with me as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday.
The old fashioned images of Jesus as the Good Shepherd carrying the lost lamb on his shoulders can be comforting for some, but many adults bristle at the thought of being compared to a mindless flock animal. Some do not want to be typecast as a person that is unreflectively obedient to whoever is assigned to herd them. Fortunately for us, this was not what John the Evangelist had in mind when he wrote about Jesus as the model of exemplary leadership.
In his Gospel, John was raising Jesus up as the true leader who gathers all together into one, giving his life for his own while other religious leaders in Israel were absent shepherds who would scatter the flock whenever there was any threat to the community. These were false shepherds who were primarily concerned with their own needs. According to John, Jesus was different from the others because he had an intimate relationship with them just as he had with his Father. This intimacy is best expressed by Jesus through his loving, self-surrender – even to death.
This is the type of intimacy that my friend, Louise, is learning from her own sheep. They respond to her and she caringly takes care of them. It is a life-giving, mutually-nourishing friendship – the same type of friendship we can have with God. Try a little experiment. Take one day this week to listen to all the voices that surround you: the television commercials, radio and magazine advertisements, the silent expectations of family, the unexpressed demands of work, the wishes and desires of friends. When do you get to hear and honor your own desires? When do you hear the still, silent voice of the Good Shepherd? With so many competing and clamorous voices, isn’t it nice to be able to recognize the voice of merciful truth from the one who only means the best for us? We can never forget his voice, but we have to be able to lessen our responses to those other voices so that the voice of Jesus becomes primary. Which other of those voices are always willing to lay down their lives for you?
This week’s liturgies
In our first readings for daily Mass we follow the missionary adventures of Paul and Barnabas (son of consolation because he was a skilled mediator.) Their message is intended for a different audience than the Twelve disciples. They begin their missionary work in Antioch and move steadily westward. The Easter message is rejected by the Jews, but received gratefully by the delighted Gentiles. In the Gospels, we hear the remaining words by Jesus about the way he is the Good Shepherd. We further deepen our understanding of Jesus by hearing about the ways he is one with the Father in essence and in mission. He further elaborates on the intimacy that he shares with the Father and yearns to share with us. We all want the comfort on knowing someone intimately cares for us. Well, we have someone who constantly invites us into deeper friendship.
Cinco de Mayo
Happy Cinco de Mayo (the Fifth of May)! This celebration commemorates the defeat of the superior French forces against a ragtag Mexican army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. It marks the final time that an army from another continent invaded the Americas. At Cheverus, we had a nice fiesta on Thursday as I cooked a Mexican casserole for 70 faculty and staff members. As you can imagine, I needed a siesta afterwards. Let us celebrate with our cousins to the south of the Rio Grande and let us remember all immigrants who strive for protection and a stable livelihood.
Cheverus Auction
Just a reminder that our annual auction is held on Saturday, May 9th at 7:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland. Please come or at least pray for our success as this is our primary fundraiser for the year!
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