Jesus: the Shepherd that truly Pastures (HOMILY FOR THE 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY) APRIL 2023

HOMILY ON THE 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY)

Acts 2:14a.36-41; Ps.23; 1Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10

“ _I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn.10:10b)

Theme: Jesus: the Shepherd that truly Pastures

On this Good Shepherd Sunday, we are called upon to carefully examine to whom we want to entrust our souls. This decision is key because it determines everything about us both in this life and in the life to come. The one who takes charge of our souls, invariably controls our life. Jesus uses the imagery of Shepherd and sheep to guide us in making this all-important decision. The concern of the shepherd is always about the sheep, irrespective of what this concern may be. There are many things a shepherd can do with a sheep. But there is only one thing a sheep desires from a shepherd. What a shepherd does with the sheep reveals the value he has placed on the sheep. A shepherd could desire a sheep for food, economic reasons or to pasture it for good. Of these three possibilities, the sheep desires only the third from the shepherd. Only the third reason speaks of love for the sheep; the other two reasons are selfish. But a shepherd, while luring the sheep, will not make obvious his hinder agenda. The question therefore is, how the sheep will identify the shepherd that has its interest at heart.

In the gospel acclamation, Jesus said that he is the Good Shepherd. This statement has two implications: first, Jesus is not the only Shepherd; there are other shepherds. Second, of all the shepherds there are, only Jesus is good. Goodness here means that only Jesus desires the sheep for the good of the sheep. All other shepherds seek the sheep for selfish reasons. It therefore means, should the sheep entrust itself to any shepherd apart from Jesus, it will be to its detriment. So, the gospel reading of today ended with Jesus saying: “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”.

Ordinarily, since Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd, the best amongst others who has the interest of the sheep at heart, one would expect that the sheep that wisely entrusts his care to Jesus will be adequately catered for and protected. But the second reading tells us that the sheep that belongs to Jesus can still suffer for doing what is right. In fact, it tells us that we should be patient when this happens. The other shepherds advertise themselves by promising us that we will not suffer at all if we chose them. They promise us a life of abundance. Now, no one wants to suffer for what he/she has done, not to talk of suffering for what is right. For this reason, the voice of the deceptive shepherd continues to resonance in the hearts of many today. If Jesus is the Good Shepherd, then he should both take away our pains and save us from pain.

But the second reading went on to tell us that Jesus does not disappoint us in this expectation. Being the Good Shepherd, he bore our sins in his body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Jesus is the Good Shepherd because only he has invested his life in our lives by dying to save us. Jesus is the Good Shepherd because he pastures us not so that he may feed on us but that we may become like him. Only Jesus’ pasturing is gratuitous because he has nothing to gain from us, the sheep. In the process of pasturing, all that we experience with the Lord is geared towards making us become like him. So, if we share in his sufferings, we will likewise share in his victory. The other shepherds have never done anything for us. They harbor no intention to grow us to their level; they only feed us that they may prey on us. Hence, no matter how good they may be to us, their goodness is no goodness at all.

Who are these other shepherds? They are anything and anyone, other than Jesus, to whom we have given the right to control our lives. If we honestly look inward, we will be able to identify them. It is often the case that circumstances of life were the breeding ground for these bad shepherds in our lives. We gave them access to our lives when we were seeking for a pleasurable life, an undisciplined life, a crossless life, an impatient life. Some of these shepherds are clothed in religious garments; and their gimmicks were a promise of a miraculous encounter with God where all our problems will be over. They continue to play on our psyche while perpetuating evils on their prey under the guise of solving problems. They are the thieves and robbers who try to enter the sheepfold other than through the door. They do no good at all.

Beloved, when we decide to follow the Lord, we will experience different forms of ordeals. But, not only are these ordeals salvific, they are nothing compared to how unfortunate we will be if we give ourselves over to the devil. So, the psalmist tells us that if the Lord is our Shepherd, there is nothing we shall want; because we will find everything in the Lord. Whatever you think you need but cannot find it in Jesus, know that that thing is not good for you. Whatever does not come from Jesus is poisonous; irrespective of the branding it carries.

Let us heed the words of St. Peter in the first reading: “Save yourselves from this crooked generation”. Beloved, stop joining the bandwagons. Dare to be different! If you don’t find anyone standing, be courageous to be the only one standing. In whatever ways we have given in to the devil, we can renounce him today. Do not be afraid to repent. The threats of the devil amounts to nothing for one who is in Christ Jesus.

Today is also referred to as Vocation Sunday. We are called upon to offer special prayers for those through whom the Lord continues to Shepherd us today. When God calls men into the business of Shepherding his flock in him name, He does not take away their humanness. A Shepherd can be good but distracted. What distracts the shepherd does not always seem like distraction at first until the shepherd finds himself already clung to it. The priest is like the palm wine tapper who cannot explain everything he sees on top of the palm tree; yet he has no excuse to be unfaithful.

Apart from praying for our religious leaders, let us also do more in correcting them charitably. Doing this will remind them that the people still expect holiness and dedication from them. Beloved, if your religious leader will fall, you should neither be the cause nor an accomplice. We all bear the vocation to be good shepherds too.

OR

STEPS FOR HOMILY OF THE 4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY)

*The discourse began in the chapter 9 of the Gospel of John. The healing of the man born blind and the disagreement the pahrisees had with the miracle. 

*Throwing the man born blind out from the temple/synagogue was suggestive of the kind of shepherds the religious leaders were. They angrily terminated the presence of the man born blind the temple. Hence, he should not have any communication with God and not be saved.

* Jesus, therefore, mindful of the bad behaviour of the religious leaders who were meant to be shepherds unto their brothers and sisters, declared going forward that he is the good shepherd and the new door that brings people to eternal life in God. 

* The primary duty of the Sheppher is to guarantee the life of the sheep, to nourish it consistently and leading it to greener pastures, to protect and safeguard the sheep from fearful wolves. 

* In the corridor of leadership, which of the above models of shepherding do we tailor our leadership. 

*In a broken world, broken humanity, unto who do we entrust our souls?