The Voice of Our Shepherd

My dear friends, Happy Good Shepherd Sunday! Do you like the image of the Good Shepherd? Back when I was a Catechumen, one of my favorite religious images for prayers was that of the Good Shepherd. I liked it because it reminded me of a Jesus that is gentle and meek, someone who is kind and loving, loving enough to leave 99 sheep behind to go save one that is lost, the one that is scared and afraid because it has lost its way.

However, when Jesus was talking about the shepherd today, it feels a little confusing for me. At first, he said, “But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep”. So, it sounded like he is referring to himself as the “shepherd of the sheep”. But, when he was explaining his figure of speech, she said, “I am the gate for the sheep.” And actually, if we continuing reading the rest of chapter 10 for this Gospel, Jesus will later declare that he is the “Good Shepherd”. So, my brothers and sisters, which is it? Is Jesus the “Shepherd of the Sheep”, or the “gate for the sheep”? And who is the gatekeeper?

Before we try to answer these questions, let me share some of my experiences in Bolivia. When I was serving in Bolivia, there was a period of time that I stayed in the Southside, a rural area outside the city of Cochabamba. The area I stayed at is called Nueva Vera Cruz, New True Cross. It was a small town that had developed from a slum. This town happened to be a passageway for shepherds to bring their sheep and goats from one field to another. Since I grew up in a city, I was always fascinated when there were large herds of animals moving around.

Today, in the Gospel, Jesus said, “the sheep follow him because they recognize voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”

If you have not seen the herding of sheep, I can attest that what Jesus said is true. Back at Nueva Vera Cruz, sometimes, I would see two different shepherds herding their sheep in different directions. It is very interesting to watch that happen because we would expect the shepherd to get anxious and try to herd their sheep closer to themselves before they pass the other group. But that is not true, the shepherds would just walk normally with their sheep spread out and pass each other. When the two herds of sheep meet, they might interact with each other for a while, but when the shepherd whistles or calls, their sheep would recognize the voice of their shepherd and move forward to follow him.

As a young seminarian, I was really amazed by this. Firstly, because I realized that Jesus really understood the relationship between a good shepherd and his sheep. But more importantly, I realized how this bible passage connected with my life of faith.

To appreciate the Gospel of today, we need to understand the chapter before, chapter 9. In Chapter 9, Jesus gave sight to a man who was born blind. However, the pharisees who found out about this, denied that Jesus could have done that. In fact, they used the law of the Sabbath, to accuse Jesus of healing on the Sabbath. In the midst of it all, if you remember, the only person who acknowledged Jesus was from God, was the blind man! The pharisees, who were supposed to be the people’s religious leaders, instead of recognizing the good that Jesus had done, turned a blind eye to the truth in order to maintain their status.

Thus, if we go back to the Gospel today, we can better understand who “are the ones who do not enter a sheepfold through the gate”, “who came before [Jesus] who are thieves and robbers].

Through the parable and his explanation, we now better understand who are the false shepherds that he was talking about. The pharisees that he met, were well-trained in scriptures and the laws. They could quote sacred scriptures and the laws, as well as Jesus could. So, to the people, they appeared to be their religious teachers and leaders, like shepherds. However, what they taught and how they lived do not match. They even used the religious laws to oppress people! Hence, Jesus referred to them as people trying to pretend that they are shepherds, but they had only come to “steal and slaughter and destroy”.

Jesus explained that he is the gate. He said “Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture…” and compared to a thief, he came so that his sheep might have life and have it more abundantly.

And this is the heart of the Gospel that we heard today, this is the voice that the blind man recognized. When Jesus said that “the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice”. He was reminding us to be more like the blind man, to listen carefully and discern between the voices of the people in our lives. A Good Shepherd respects our freedom, as Jesus said, “they will come in and go out and find pasture”. Jesus leads in a non-confrontational way, and in pastoral studies, we call this non-violent communication – that is speaking in a manner that invites but not demand change.

On top that that, a Good Shepherd looks out for the good of his sheep, not his own interests. Jesus said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”. To Jesus, to be a leader of a people, is to care for them, to love them and to lead them to the best possible outcome for them. This is true, unconditional love, a key characteristic of someone who is trying to live like Jesus.

Hence, the Gospel today is reminding us of the importance of listening and discerning to our Good Shepherd and the other shepherds in our life. While we can be impressed by someone who is knowledgeable about the Bible and can quote church teachings and laws well, what we should be looking at is whether the person is able to integrate all that Jesus taught into his or her life. If not, they are like the pharisees who are very learned, but failing to use the knowledge to improve their lives and the lives of others.

At the same time, the Gospel reminds us to recognize the tone and the way that Jesus’ message is shared with us.

Does it sound like it is respecting our freedom, does it sound like the person is looking out for us, or does the person have another agenda for himself or herself? Does the person try to blame others, put down others, even when what the other person is trying to do is obviously good? Do they deny the kindness of others and claim that they are the ones who really care for us?

Remember, Jesus did all the miracles and healings, but the pharisees and scribes always tried to deny him, then claimed that he was a heretic and wanted to get rid of him, because they were the ones who really cared for the people and didn't want them to be misled.

But we know the voice of Jesus, we recognize it because we have heard it so many times in Mass and when we pray with the scared scriptures. We recognize it in his apostles and disciples too. Today in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter did not blame or curse the people who betrayed Jesus. Instead, he shared what he had received from Jesus. He said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.” In his speech, there is no blame, no accusation, only grace, grace from God. That is why we know these words are from our Good Shepherd.

St. Paul speaks in the same way, he said,

"When he was insulted, he returned no insult;

when he suffered, he did not threaten;

instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.

He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross,

so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness.

By his wounds you have been healed.

For you had gone astray like sheep,

but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls."

The Good Shepherd is not revengeful, he doesn’t use hurtful, violent communication. He cares for all, and is willing to suffer for our good. He receives us, even when we had made mistakes in our life.

My brothers and sisters, these are the things that we have to learn to recognize, to discern between a false shepherd using us for his or her own gains or, a good shepherd who takes care, guides, and protects us, who truly love us and want the best for us.

Hence on this Good Shepherd Sunday, we also pray for more Good Shepherd to accept the gifts God has given them and be willing to serve the Church. As part of the universal church, we pray especially for vocations to priesthood, for man who are called to follow Christ fully with their lives. But as I have shared at many occasions, when we pray for vocations, we must also remember that because of our baptism, all of us also receive a sacred call to share in the common priesthood, prophet and kingship… hence we also share in the responsibilities to evangelize through prayers, teaching and service. We also need to be mindful of our brothers and sisters who have responded to the call of Holy Matrimony, and in response to their sacred call, to build the future of the church and to establish the first church of all our children. All these, all of us, are called to be good shepherds in different ways.

It will not be easy, especially when the society constantly tells us that we need to look out for ourselves. But through the grace of the Eucharist, through the help of each other, we will be able to sound and act more like our Good Shepherd… and we will be able to once again, make the presence of our Good Shepherd, a reality in our world!