Leading as modeled by the Shepherd

There are many branches on the tree rooted in the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today, Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle.

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Reach. Preach. Teach.#MyMorningCoffee February 10, 2018

"We cannot teach what we want to preach to people we cannot reach."
- Mano Evem

Immersion or living with the people. A shepherd has to smell like his sheep. pic.twitter.com/oi2p6OhZBI

— EFREN DELIMA (@efrenmd) February 9, 2018

 In the First Letter of Peter imitation of Christ is the model for Church leadership.

* [5:1–4] In imitation of Christ, the chief shepherd, those entrusted with a pastoral office are to tend the flock by their care and example.

 The Gospel from Matthew describes the confession of Peter in the region of Caesarea Philippi about Who Jesus is.

* [16:13–20] The Marcan confession of Jesus as Messiah, made by Peter as spokesman for the other disciples (Mk 8:27–29; cf. also Lk 9:18–20), is modified significantly here. The confession is of Jesus both as Messiah and as Son of the living God (Mt 16:16). Jesus’ response, drawn principally from material peculiar to Matthew, attributes the confession to a divine revelation granted to Peter alone (Mt 16:17) and makes him the rock on which Jesus will build his church (Mt 16:18) and the disciple whose authority in the church on earth will be confirmed in heaven, i.e., by God (Mt 16:19).

Randall Niles looks at the biblical significance of Caesarea Philippi to Jesus and his disciples in a YouTube video.

Bishop Robert Barron in Episode 1 of the video series Catholicism uses Peter’s Confession to underline the significance of our answer to Jesus question at Caesarea Philippi.

Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the idea of Church leadership compared to being a shepherd. He recalled that “Take care of the flock” is interpreted by Pope Francis as smelling like the sheep by getting in the midst of people to help them find the way.

“This is what I am asking you,” he said with emphasis, looking up from his prepared text, “be shepherds with the smell of sheep,” so that people can sense the priest is not just concerned with his own congregation, but is also a fisher of men.

Friar Jude provides background on Peter being named the“Rock” and being given custody of keys of life, death, and rain. “Loosen the bond” as a traditional power of the rabbi and the connection to the nether world at Caesarea are explained.

Rev. Richard Gabuzda asks Is there a “memory of mercy” that we might call to mind today?  Is that a memory that we cherish?  How has that “memory of mercy” equipped us for our calling?

For all followers of Jesus, there can be no more powerful moment of encounter with the Risen Jesus than the encounter that brings forgiveness.  No one but God alone can forgive sins.  To encounter forgiveness is to encounter the power of the Risen Lord.  The memory of that encounter provides the fuel for our own life of faith and witness to him.  Whatever our own particular calling may be, preserving the memory of Jesus’ mercy becomes one of the most important ways we can assure the vitality of that calling.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM,  quotes Thomas Berry [1] and shares how Cynthia Bourgeault, a faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation, writes about how the ancient Wisdom tradition views creation.

Foremost among these qualities . . . is love. In the Christian West we are accustomed to rattling off the statement “God is love” [1 John 4: 8, 16]. . . . Love is a relational word, and that relationship presumes duality, or twoness, “because,” in the words of Valentin Tomberg (1900-1973), “love is inconceivable without the Lover and the Loved, without ME and YOU, without One and the Other.” [3] In order for love to manifest, there must first be duality. . . . In the words of another Sufi maxim whose truth is apparent to anyone who has ever experienced the sublime dance of recognition and mutual becoming at the heart of all love: “You are the mirror in which God sees himself.

As we are leading those we meet to Christ we will be relating closely with their lives. Our action is a response to Jesus question about his nature. References


(n.d.). 1 Peter, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/scripture.cfm?bcv=68005007

(n.d.). Matthew 16:13-20. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/matthew16.htm

(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/2018/01/

(2013, March 28). Pope Francis: Priests should be 'shepherds living with the smell of the .... Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://www.thecatholictelegraph.com/pope-francis-priests-should-be-shepherds-living-with-the-smell-of-the-sheep/13439

(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections .... Retrieved February 22, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html