The Good Shepherd
- Deacon Phillip Uro
- Apr 21, 2024
- 5 min read
Fourth Sunday of Easter April 21, 2024
Acts 4:8-12
Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 291
Jn 3:1-2
Jn 10:14
Jn 10:11-18
♫Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb; its fleece was white as snow. And everywhere that Mary went, Mary went, Mary went, everywhere that Mary went, the lamb was sure to go. ♪♪
How many of you recall learning this nursery rhyme when you were growing up, and possibly recall teaching it to your children and/or grandchildren? And how many of you sang along with me, in your head, as I was singing it? Be honest now! And who do you think this nursery rhyme is about?
Over the years many well intentioned Catechists and Sunday School Teachers have used the first stanza of this nursery rhyme to speak about Mother Mary and about her son, Baby Jesus, who is the Lamb of God. Although this nursery rhyme is based on a real-life character and events, it is not, however, about Mother Mary and Baby Jesus. So why am I starting off my homily with this nursery rhyme? I’ll explain shortly, but first I want to share with you the story of another individual named Scott Shreeve. I’ve never personally had the experience of working with or dealing with sheep, but Scott did.
In a brief article he wrote back around 2008, Scott shared how he grew up in rural Clovis, California on a 2.5-acre ranch where they had chickens, turkeys, and a bunch of sheep. He describes the sheep as not being very smart, exceptionally skittish, and would do exactly the opposite of what you’d want them to do. He recalled spending many frustrating hours trying to drive the sheep from one adjacent pasture to another.
He also remembers how a close family friend, who lived nearby, came over one day to help. How the friend strolled by with some oats in a small bucket; spread some in a single line in front of him, and waited patiently as the sheep’s interest in the treat overcame their natural fear. As the sheep nervously approached, he would touch them one by one and gently speak to them. With that the sheep became very calm, docile, and obedient. After a few minutes, he slowly rose and walked between the gates to the next pasture, and the sheep quietly followed him into the next pasture without any difficulty.
That day Scott learned a valuable lesson about the difference between a Shepherd and a Sheepherder. A sheepherder is a hired hand, commonly called a hireling. He also recognized the sheep were not as dumb as he thought. They simply responded to him accordingly to his acting as a hireling and they were just waiting for the right kind of leader, a Shepherd.
In our Gospel reading today from John, Jesus shares with us that He is the Good Shepherd and how the Good Shepherd is different from the hired hand, the sheepherder.
In his article, Scott also shares the following key differences he has come to recognize between a Shepherd and a Sheepherder or hired hand:
· Shepherds actually know their sheep and have earned their trust and confidence; Sheepherders could care less about the sheep and are only trying to score a buck.
· Shepherds lead from the front; Sheepherders drive from the rear.
· Shepherds know the right way; Sheepherders are looking for shortcuts.
· Shepherds talk softly; Sheepherders yell and scream.
· Shepherds rule with love; Sheepherders coerce with fear.
· The sheep willingly follow the Shepherd; the Sheepherder forces by compulsion.
· Shepherds will leave the 99 and search for the one; Sheepherders don’t know the one and are bothered by the other 99.
· Shepherds will protect the sheep with their life; Sheepherders run away at the first sign of wolves.
Now about that nursery rhyme. According to the New England Historical Society, the nursery rhyme is inspired by the true story of a young girl named Mary Sawyer, who lived in Sterling, Massachusetts, in the 1800s. Mary took the young lamb under her care after it was rejected by its mother on the family farm. After nursing it to good health, the lamb became Mary’s shadow and indeed followed her everywhere she went.
Mary is a Christ like image of a good shepherd who took care of the one lamb that was lost and rejected. As a result, the lamb knew her intimately and at the sound of her voice the lamb would go wherever Mary went.
Ultimately, Jesus is the one true Good Shepherd who seeks out the lost, the lonely, the rejected, the hurt, the poor, the sick, and the outcast. He called forth as his Disciples Peter, James and John who were fisherman by trade, and he called Matthew a Tax Collector who was hated and despised by the Jewish people and invited all of them to follow him.
He ate with sinners, cured the sick, the lame, and the blind, and he cast out demons. To the woman caught in adultery he says in a gentle and loving voice “Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin anymore” [John 8:11]. He would often touch individuals with his hands while speaking loving words like “your sins are forgiven you” or “your faith has saved you.”
Jesus is both the Lamb of God who takes away our sins and reconciles us to the Father, and the Good Shepherd who did not run away when they came to arrest him; but willingly gave himself up and laid down his life for us. He is the Good Shepherd who seeks out each and everyone of us and invites us into His sheepfold. Who wants to lead us and guide us from one pasture here on earth, to the other pasture through the gates into eternal life with Him in heaven.
Because Jesus is the Good Shepherd, he does not leave us abandoned and alone, but gives us His Church and other Shepherds to continue His work on earth after His Ascension. To Peter he gives his Shepherd’s staff when he tells him “Feed my Lambs… Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep” [John 21:15-17]. Peter shares this role and responsibility with the other Apostles and their successors. And in our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles we see Peter continuing the work of the Good Shepherd as he speaks to the leaders and elders about the good deed done to a cripple who was saved in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean.
Jesus is our Good Shepherd, who walks ahead of us as he leads us, by means of His Church and the Sacraments, from this pasture to the next. Through the waters of Baptism, we are freed from the stain of original sin and welcomed into the sheepfold, the body of Christ, the Church. In the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Anointing of the Sick we receive forgiveness, healing, and spiritual strength. In the Eucharist we receive Christ himself and are nourished and strengthened by him. Through Confirmation, Marriage, and Holy Orders we are strengthened by the Holy Spirit and invited to share in the mission of the Church as we are invited to point and lead others to Jesus our Good Shepherd.
May we all open our hearts, our minds, and our souls to hear His voice and follow Him from this life into eternal life with him.
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