The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today prompt us to reflect on our action as shepherds when prompted by the Spirit to be generous in offering hope and love to others.
The reading from the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel proclaims God as the True Shepherd.
* [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. (Ezekiel, CHAPTER 34, n.d.)
Psalm 23 describes the action of the Divine Shepherd.
* [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).
* [23:1] My shepherd: God as good shepherd is common in both the Old Testament and the New Testament (Ez 34:11–16; Jn 10:11–18). (Psalms, PSALM 23, n.d.)
The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans comments that in Faith, Hope, and Love. we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.
* [5:1–11] Popular piety frequently construed reverses and troubles as punishment for sin; cf. Jn 9:2. Paul therefore assures believers that God’s justifying action in Jesus Christ is a declaration of peace. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ displays God’s initiative in certifying humanity for unimpeded access into the divine presence. Reconciliation is God’s gift of pardon to the entire human race. Through faith one benefits personally from this pardon or, in Paul’s term, is justified. The ultimate aim of God is to liberate believers from the pre-Christian self as described in Rom 1–3. Since this liberation will first find completion in the believer’s resurrection, salvation is described as future in Rom 5:10. 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). (Romans, CHAPTER 5, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the Parable of the Lost Sheep.
* [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. (Luke, CHAPTER 15, n.d.)
Tamora Whitney comments that even if the shepherd might not feel the loss of one sheep out of a hundred, what would happen to the sheep that went astray? It would be in danger, out of the protection of its community. The shepherd has a responsibility to protect all the flock. The shepherd who finds and regains the lost sheep not only feels joy at regaining his property that might be lost but also relief in knowing that the sheep is now safe with the others.
God rejoices in the return of one of his own who was thought to be lost but is returned. But it’s not only because God wants a bigger following, but because he realizes that we, like sheep, out of our community are lost and in danger. Returned to the fold we can be safe in his protection in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Creighton U. Daily Reflection, n.d.)
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) (Schwager, n.d.)
The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 15:3-7 comments that not only did God come as a human being to teach and guide us, however; he also came to save us by laying down his life for us. That’s what the circle of thorns in the Sacred Heart image brings to mind. Through his passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus ensured that none of us would have to be lost forever. Just as a good shepherd protects his flock from the dangers of the wilderness, Jesus rescued us from Satan, sin, and death. He rescued us even when it meant a crown of thorns, a brutal scourging, and an excruciating death on the cross.
As Jesus showed us in his parable of the lost sheep, God’s love and mercy are without limits. He isn’t angry that the lost sheep made the mistake of wandering away in the first place. No, his only desire is to find that lost one and carry it on his shoulders back to the rest of the flock. So on this great feast, gaze on the image of the Sacred Heart and thank the Good Shepherd with all your heart for what he has done for you. “Jesus, Good Shepherd, I praise and thank you for your never-ending love and mercy!” (Meditation on Luke 15:3-7, n.d.)
Fr. Don Miller, OFM, shares the story of the Sacred Heart.
A Jewish midrash on the Exodus account of Moses’s encounter with God compares the burning bush to the human heart: the only created thing which can burn without being consumed. Yet nothing seems to be harder for human beings to believe in than unconditional love—love that is neither deserved nor earned. The Sacred Heart of Jesus, aflame with an unquenchable fire, stands today against lingering traces of Jansenism as a powerful symbol of Christ’s unquenchable love for the whole human race. (Story of the Sacred Heart, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler describes how Ezekiel identifies the kings and priests who had exploited the flock. During the Feast of Dedication, Jesus applied the Good Shepherd to Himself. Friar Jude reminds us that the most broken need our attention and God reaches out in Jesus with Love.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, describes how we learn to navigate our emotions in a healthy way and find ourselves grounded more deeply in the love of God. We can waste a whole day (or longer) feeding that hurt until it seems to have a life of its own and, in fact, “possesses” us. At that point, it becomes what Eckhart Tolle rightly calls our “pain-body.” Tolle defines this “accumulated pain” as “a negative energy field that occupies your body and mind.” [1] In this space, we seem to have a kneejerk, self-protective reaction to everything—and everyone—around us. Fr Richard emphasizes the word reaction here because there’s no clear, conscious decision to think or act in this way. It just happens and we are seemingly powerless to stop it. By doing healing work and by practicing meditation, we learn to stop identifying with the pain and instead calmly relate to it in a compassionate way.
For example, in centering prayer, we observe the hurt as it arises in our stream of consciousness, but we don’t jump on the boat and give it energy. Instead, we name it (“resentment toward my spouse”), then we let go of it, and let the boat float down the river. We have the power to say, “That’s not me. I don’t need that today. I have no need to feed this resentment. I know who I am without it.” This is the beginning of emotional sobriety. [2] Many of us think we are converted to Christ, but without the conversion of our emotional reactions, we remain much like everyone else. If we’ve been eating a regular meal of resentment toward our spouse, our boss, our parents, or “the world,” the boat’s going to come back around in the next minute because it’s accustomed to us filling our plate. But we must be able to ask and to discover, “Who was I before I resented my spouse? And even before that?” This is the primary way we learn to live in our True Self, where we are led by a foundational “yes,” not by the petty push backs of “no.” (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the guidance of the Spirit to become aware of our attitudes that are blocking our loving response to the needs of lost sheep we encounter on our journey.
References
Creighton U. Daily Reflection. (n.d.). Online Ministries. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/062422.html
Ezekiel, CHAPTER 34. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ezekiel/34?11
Luke, CHAPTER 15. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/15?3
Meditation on Luke 15:3-7. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/06/24/418990/
Psalms, PSALM 23. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Responding Instead of Reacting — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/responding-instead-of-reacting-2022-06-24/
Romans, CHAPTER 5. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/5?5
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=jun24a
Story of the Sacred Heart. (n.d.). Franciscan Media. Retrieved June 24, 2022, from https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/story-of-the-sacred-heart
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