Heart of the Good Shepherd

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with the way in which we love as the Shepherd in caring for family and others.

Beside still waters

The passage from the Prophet Ezekiel is the Parable of the Shepherds in which God is promised as the Shepherd of Israel.

* [34:2] Shepherds: the leaders of the people. A frequent title for kings and deities in the ancient Near East; the ideal ruler took care of his subjects and anticipated their needs. Ezekiel’s oracle broadens the reference to include the whole class of Jerusalem’s leaders (v. 17). The prophet assures his audience, the exiles in Babylon, that God holds these leaders responsible for what has happened to Jerusalem and will give Israel a new shepherd worthy of the title.1 

In Psalm 23 God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed.

* [Psalm 23] God’s loving care for the psalmist is portrayed under the figures of a shepherd for the flock (Ps 23:1–4) and a host’s generosity toward a guest (Ps 23:5–6). The imagery of both sections is drawn from traditions of the exodus (Is 40:11; 49:10; Jer 31:10).2 

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans underlines the development of Hope in the gifts of Faith, Hope, and Love.

Because this fullness of salvation belongs to the future it is called the Christian hope. Paul’s Greek term for hope does not, however, suggest a note of uncertainty, to the effect: “I wonder whether God really means it.” Rather, God’s promise in the gospel fills believers with expectation and anticipation for the climactic gift of unalloyed commitment in the holy Spirit to the performance of the will of God. The persecutions that attend Christian commitment are to teach believers patience and to strengthen this hope, which will not disappoint them because the holy Spirit dwells in their hearts and imbues them with God’s love (Rom 5:5).3 

The Gospel from Luke is The Parable of the Lost Sheep told by Jesus in this Gospel and in Matthew.

* [15:1–32] To the parable of the lost sheep (Lk 15:1–7) that Luke shares with Matthew (Mt 18:12–14), Luke adds two parables (the lost coin, Lk 15:8–10; the prodigal son, Lk 15:11–32) from his own special tradition to illustrate Jesus’ particular concern for the lost and God’s love for the repentant sinner.4 

Carol Zuegner asks “Who among us hasn’t felt lost or broken?”

I am broken, but I am loved. God is with us, even in the dark valleys. He gives us the courage to do the right thing, to share that love that has been poured out into our hearts.5  

Don Schwager quotes “Jesus is Son of David and Son of God,” by Cyril of Alexandria, 375-444 A.D.

"We also will ask the Pharisees of today a similar question. They deny that he who was born of the holy Virgin is very Son of God the Father and himself also God. They also divide the one Christ into two sons. Let these people explain to us how David's Son is his Lord, not so much as to human lordship as divine. To sit at the right hand of the Father is the assurance and pledge of supreme glory. Those who share the same throne are equal also in dignity, and those who are crowned with equal honors are understood of course to be equal in nature. To sit by God can signify nothing else than sovereign authority. The throne declares to us that Christ possesses power over everything and supremacy by right of his substance. How is the Son of David David's Lord, seated at the right hand of God the Father and on the throne of Deity? Is it not altogether according to the unerring word of the mystery that the Word as God sprung from the very substance of God the Father? Being in his likeness and equal with him, he became flesh. He became man, perfectly and yet without departing from the incomparable excellence of the divine dignities. He continued in that state in which he had always been. He still was God, although he became flesh and in form like us. He is David's Lord therefore according to that which belongs to his divine glory, nature and sovereignty. He is his son according to the flesh." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 137.52)6 

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:3-7 comments that some people would say that the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the heart of a shepherd, and with good reason... today’s Gospel gives us another insight into the kind of shepherd Jesus is: one who rejoices.

 Take some time today to consider the Sacred Heart of Jesus not just as a suffering heart but as a joyful heart. Imagine you are that lost lamb, and your shepherd is pursuing you with eagerness and determination. In your mind’s eye, see his face light up as he spots you and reaches out for you. Feel the warmth of his joy as he lifts you onto his shoulders to carry you home.7

Friar Jude Winkler sets the passage from Ezekiel and Psalm 23 in the time of the Babylonian exile when Israel was in need of a shepherd to lead them back to Jerusalem. The Gospel parable prompts us to ask if our parish budgets do enough in outreach to lost sheep. Friar Jude notes that the Good Shepherd “abandons” the 99 sheep to address the needs of the lost one.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, continues his exploration of parental love and quotes Carol Bialock, a Religious of the Sacred Heart and author of the poem “Breathing Underwater” and “Widening the Door,”

 Does the heart have a narrow door?Will it allow in just one moreof every beast and flower and birdand every song it has ever heard?
Just one more child, just one more flower,one more relinquishing of powerto that sane and sacred foolishnessof living by inclusiveness?
Does the heart have a supple, elastic latchthat makes it easy to dispatchall pettiness and bigotryand opens it to what makes us free?
. . .
You who can heal all wounds and hatemake my heart open, free, and great.
—Carol Bialock [1]8

Brené Brown who offers a parenting manifesto that can serve as a touchstone when we feel afraid or resist vulnerability, “Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead”. The feast today of The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity) is an opportunity to reflect on the joy and hope that our practice of a Shepherd’s Love can bring to our journey.

References

1	(n.d.). Ezekiel, chapter 34 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/34
2	(n.d.). Psalms, chapter 23 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23
3	(n.d.). Romans, chapter 5 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/romans/5
4	(n.d.). Luke, chapter 15 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/15
5	(n.d.). Creighton U Daily Reflections - OnlineMinistries - Creighton University. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
6	(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 28, 2019, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/
7	(n.d.). The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (Solemnity) - Mass Readings and .... Retrieved June 28, 2019, from https://wau.org/meditations/2019/06/28/
8	(2019, June 28). The Wholehearted Parenting Manifesto — Center for Action and .... Retrieved June 28, 2019, from https://cac.org/the-wholehearted-parenting-manifesto-2019-06-28/