Care of the Good Shepherd

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today challenge us to live as the lamb and the shepherd as we are transformed by the Good Shepherd.

Lamb and Shepherd

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter testifies before the Sanhedrin.

* [4:11] Early Christianity applied this citation from Ps 118:22 to Jesus; cf. Mk 12:10; 1 Pt 2:7.

* [4:12] In the Roman world of Luke’s day, salvation was often attributed to the emperor who was hailed as “savior” and “god.” Luke, in the words of Peter, denies that deliverance comes through anyone other than Jesus. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 118 is a Song of Victory.

* [Psalm 118] A thanksgiving liturgy accompanying a procession of the king and the people into the Temple precincts. After an invocation in the form of a litany (Ps 118:1–4), the psalmist (very likely speaking in the name of the community) describes how the people confidently implored God’s help (Ps 118:5–9) when hostile peoples threatened its life (Ps 118:10–14); vividly God’s rescue is recounted (Ps 118:15–18). Then follows a possible dialogue at the Temple gates between the priests and the psalmist as the latter enters to offer the thanksgiving sacrifice (Ps 118:19–25). Finally, the priests impart their blessing (Ps 118:26–27), and the psalmist sings in gratitude (Ps 118:28–29).

* [118:22] The stone the builders rejected: a proverb: what is insignificant to human beings has become great through divine election. The “stone” may originally have meant the foundation stone or capstone of the Temple. The New Testament interpreted the verse as referring to the death and resurrection of Christ (Mt 21:42; Acts 4:11; cf. Is 28:16 and Rom 9:33; 1 Pt 2:7). (Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the reading from the First Letter of John, we are proclaimed as Children of God.

* [3:1–3] The greatest sign of God’s love is the gift of his Son (Jn 3:16) that has made Christians true children of God. This relationship is a present reality and also part of the life to come; true knowledge of God will ultimately be gained, and Christians prepare themselves now by virtuous lives in imitation of the Son.

* [3:2] When it is revealed: or “when he is revealed” (the subject of the verb could be Christ). (1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares that He is the Good Shepherd.

* [10:16] Other sheep: the Gentiles, possibly a reference to “God’s dispersed children” of Jn 11:52 destined to be gathered into one, or “apostolic Christians” at odds with the community of the beloved disciple.

* [10:18] Power to take it up again: contrast the role of the Father as the efficient cause of the resurrection in Acts 2:24; 4:10; etc.; Rom 1:4; 4:24. Yet even here is added: This command I have received from my Father. (John, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB, n.d.)

Sara Schulte-Bukowinski comments that in the gospel of John is the imagery of Jesus as the lamb. In the synoptics (Matthew, Mark and Luke) the last supper is a Passover meal, but in John’s version Jesus is crucified at the same time the lambs are being slaughtered for the Passover. Jesus is the paschal lamb.

So when I feel worn down, or when I feel that the world and my efforts in it are a mess, when I am tempted to despair, I can trust that the good shepherd has been there, and can abide with me. When I look at the sorrows in the world that are beyond my own experience, I trust that the good shepherd abides there too, with all who suffer, all who fear, all who feel weak and helpless. He is the shepherd who knows the life of the lamb. He will not run. He stays with me in my vulnerability, and helps us know our place staying with one another. (Schulte-Bukowinski, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Green pastures and still waters,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The pastures that this good shepherd has prepared for you, in which he has settled you for you to take your fill, are not various kinds of grasses and green things, among which some are sweet to the taste, some extremely bitter, which as the seasons succeed one another are sometimes there and sometimes not. Your pastures are the words of God and his commandments, and they have all been sown as sweet grasses. These pastures had been tasted by that man who said to God, 'How sweet are your words to my palate, more so than honey and the honeycomb in my mouth!'" (excerpt from Sermon 366,3,1) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 10:11-18 comments that Jesus is a shepherd unlike the “shepherds” of Israel. In the previous chapter of John’s Gospel, the Jewish leaders responded to Jesus’ miraculous healing by casting out the formerly blind man from the synagogue (9:34). Jesus offered healing and revelation to God’s people, yet these shepherds both rejected him themselves and prevented their “sheep” from receiving the abundant life that Jesus came to give them (10:10). In contrast, Jesus sought out the healed man, comforted him, and led him to faith (9:35-38). This is what a good shepherd does.

Today, rejoice that your good shepherd is guarding and protecting you. He is leading you securely along the perilous paths of life. He is defending you against the wolves and thieves that seek to “steal and slaughter and destroy” you (John 10:10). He is giving you new life that he won by laying down his life and taking it up again in his resurrection (10:18). He will never forsake you.

“Thank you, Jesus, for being my strong good shepherd!” (Meditation on John 10:11-18, n.d.)

Thomas Shufflebotham SJ, who directs the Spiritual Exercises at St Beuno’s Jesuit Spirituality Centre in North Wales, guides us in a prayerful reflection on just three of the innumerable qualities of Jesus that any good Christian leader should seek to emulate.

The demands of Christian leadership are high, but we will come closer to meeting them if we are people preoccupied with the compassion of Christ, speaking with the honesty of Christ, in a spirit of faith enlivened by our contemplation of Christ steadfastly walking towards Jerusalem, the city from which later he would send his disciples out on mission in the service of all nations. However, any Christian leader will do well to remember one thing more: in the scriptures the Kingdom of God is not built up by human beings. It grows from the soil below, watered by the Spirit, and it is given from above: de arriba – ‘all is grace’. (Shufflebotham, 2012)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on Peter defending himself in front of the elders in the synagogue declaring that the “stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone”. The proclamation that we are “children of God” in 1 John recognizes both realized and future eschatology. Friar Jude notes that Jesus cites Ezekiel as proclaims His mission to unite His flock in one mission.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, locates his deep respect for the natural world in his Franciscan tradition.

So-called “nature mysticism” was in fact a worthy first path for Francis, and also for Bonaventure, the scholar who brought the vision of Francis and Clare to the level of theology, philosophy, and worldview. Bonaventure saw all things as likenesses of God (vestigia Dei), fingerprints and footprints that reveal the divine DNA underlying all the links in the Great Chain of Being. Both Francis and Bonaventure laid the foundation for what John Duns Scotus would later identify as the univocity (one voice) of all being, and what Dawn Nothwehr, a Franciscan sister, calls “cosmic mutuality.” [4] 

Creation itself—not ritual or spaces constructed by human hands—was Francis’ primary cathedral. His love for creation drove him back into the needs of the city, a pattern very similar to Jesus’ own movement between desert solitude (contemplation) and small-town healing ministry (action). The gospel transforms us by putting us in touch with that which is much more constant and satisfying, literally the “ground of our being,” which has much more “reality” to it, rather than theological concepts or ritualization of reality. Daily cosmic events in the sky and on the earth are the Reality above our heads and beneath our feet every minute of our lives: a continuous sacrament, signs of God’s universal presence in all things. [5] (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the guidance of the Spirit to walk with the Good Shepherd on our journey to reflect the fullness of life to the people we encounter in our environment.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/4?8 

John, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?11 

Meditation on John 10:11-18. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://wau.org/meditations/2024/04/21/940160/ 

1 John, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/3?1 

Psalms, PSALM 118 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/118?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). An Ongoing Conversation. CAC Daily Meditations. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/an-ongoing-conversation/ 

Schulte-Bukowinski, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Daily ReflectCreighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/042124.html 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). I Am the Good Shepherd. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2024&date=apr21 

Shufflebotham, T. (2012, July 4). A Reflection on Jesus's Leadership. Thinking Faith. Retrieved April 21, 2024, from https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20120704_1.htm 

Cleansing the Temple

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to celebrate and sanctify those places wherein we experience God in the assembly of His children.

Gathered as the Body of Christ

The reading from the First Book of Maccabees describes the Cleansing and Rededication of the Temple.

* [4:52] Twenty-fifth day of the ninth month…in the year one hundred and forty-eight: December 14, 164 B.C.

* [4:59] Days of the dedication: institution of the feast of Hanukkah, also called the feast of Dedication (Jn 10:22). Josephus calls it the feast of Lights (Ant. 12:325). (1 Maccabees, CHAPTER 4, n.d.)

The reading from the First Book of Chronicles is David’s Praise to God.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus Cleanses the Temple.

* [19:45–46] Immediately upon entering the holy city, Jesus in a display of his authority enters the temple (see Mal 3:1–3) and lays claim to it after cleansing it that it might become a proper place for his teaching ministry in Jerusalem (Lk 19:47; 20:1; 21:37; 22:53). See Mt 21:12–17; Mk 11:15–19; Jn 2:13–17 and the notes there. (Luke, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)

Eileen Wirth comments that we need the reverence we experience in our sacred spaces and it is imperative that we preserve them for that reason.

Religious people are often criticized for spending money on buildings that could be spent on human needs. Some critics even suggest that the Vatican should sell its priceless art works for the poor. Like who would buy the Sistine Chapel? But we NEED our sacred spaces.

Think about your place of worship whether it’s a Cathedral or a tiny rural church. What has it meant to your life and that of your community? Where have you turned in time of sorrow for hope and inspiration? What are your joyful memories of Christmas or weddings and baptisms? In recently writing a book about the history of St. John’s, I found that for many members, all these things are almost inseparable from the church itself. (Wirth, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “The home of sanctity,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God does not want his temple to be a trader's lodge but the home of sanctity. He does not preserve the practice of the priestly ministry by the dishonest duty of religion but by voluntary obedience. Consider what the Lord's actions impose on you as an example of living... He taught in general that worldly transactions must be absent from the temple, but he drove out the money changers in particular. Who are the money changers, if not those who seek profit from the Lord's money and cannot distinguish between good and evil? Holy Scripture is the Lord's money." (excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 9.17-18) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 19:45-48 comments that Jesus’ words can stir our hearts the same way they did for those people so long ago. We might come to him for a variety of reasons: maybe we’re curious or maybe we’re skeptical. Maybe we’re looking for a deeper relationship with him, or maybe it’s just something we do because of the way we were raised.

But whatever our motive, Jesus can still work in us. As we listen to his words, we’ll find something stirring in our hearts. Our hope might surge as we begin to understand that God is a heavenly Father who loves us and wants a relationship with us. As his unmerited love inspires us, we might start to long for a holier life. Maybe we’ll even feel led to tell other people about the ways Jesus’ words are changing our lives.

Like those people in the Temple, let’s come to Jesus and hang onto his words. Let’s listen to him and linger with him. Because Jesus’ words are meant to well up in our hearts and change us.

“Lord, you have the words of everlasting life. Touch my heart today.” (Meditation on Luke 19:45-48, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the desecration of the Temple under the rule of the Seleucid Empire that was reconsecrated by the Macaabees with the eight day celebration now known as Hanukkah when one day supply of oil in the lamp lasted for eight days. Jesus' cleansing of the Temple raised concern among the leaders of a riot or rebellion against Rome even as Jesus spoke and acted with the authority of God.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, finds a hopeful vision for the cosmos in the teachings of 13th-century Franciscan theologian Bonaventure.

The lovely symmetry of St. Bonaventure’s theology can be summarized in what Bonaventure himself named as the three great truths that hold everything together for him:

Emanation: We come forth from God bearing the divine image, and thus our inherent identity is grounded in the life of God from the beginning (Genesis 1:26–27).

Exemplarism: Everything, the entire chain of being, and everything in creation is an example and illustration of the one God mystery in space and time (Romans 1:20). No exceptions.  

Consummation: All returns to the Source from which it came (John 14:3). The Omega is the same as the Alpha and this is God’s supreme and final victory.

What a positive and safe world this describes! In Bonaventure’s teachings we have a coherent and grounded meaning the post-modern world no longer enjoys—and yet longs for. Note this is clearly not the later reward/punishment frame that almost totally took over when people did not experience God, but only believed propositions. Most people today are not sure where we came from, who we are, and where we’re going, and many do not even seem to care about the questions. (Rohr, 2023)

We have a supposedly Celtic tradition of “thin places” where the boundary between heaven and earth is very small and we can experience Divine Presence. It is so important to seek and nourish these time and space anomalies that enhance the truth, beauty, and goodness of our journey.

References

Luke, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/19?45 

Meditation on Luke 19:45-48. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/11/24/835901/ 

1 Maccabees, CHAPTER 4. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1maccabees/4?36 

Rohr, R. (2023, November 24). Bonaventure's Three Great Truths — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/bonaventures-three-great-truths/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=nov24 

Wirth, E. (2023, November 24). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved November 24, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/112423.html