From Our Deacon
Many of us in the baby-boomer generation can recall learning and reciting the Twenty-third Psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want … and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Though thousands memorized this wonderful psalm, how many considered what it meant to have Jesus as our shepherd is doubtful. This week’s Gospel reading begins to unfold the significance of Jesus as a shepherd.
Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd, contrasting with the Evil Shepherd. The Evil Shepherd takes his responsibility for the sheep lightly and puts his interests ahead of the sheep’s well-being. Jesus takes this responsibility as a shepherd very seriously, even to the point of dying to save the sheep. He is devoted to their care and protection.
Jesus owns the sheep by paying for us with his blood. We are his prized possession. He also knows us individually and calls us each by name. In addition, he loves us with everlasting love, even as the Father loves us.
Some of us have been born into a Catholic Christian home and have grown up removed from Jesus because of the faith of our parents. It’s important to know that the sheep respond differently to the Good Shepherd than others. They know Jesus, and the sheep listen to him when he speaks. This means that when we hear the Scripture read, read it ourselves, pray, or listen to the Scripture proclaimed, we should not simply listen with our ears but try to listen with our hearts and ask, “What is Jesus saying to us?”
Having heard his voice, the sheep follow him wherever he goes, obeying his voice. As his followers, this is where our faith becomes alive. Faith and obedience are the same. Our faith becomes alive and bright only as we follow the Good Shepherd and respond to his leadership in loving obedience. Only then do the truths of Psalm 23 become a reality for us.
Peace, Deacon Lyle Blackmon
“Jesus owns the sheep by paying for us with his blood. We are his prized possession. He also knows us individually and calls us each by name.”
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