Fr. Robert J Carr is the editor of this blog
We always have to be careful about making Jesus and His teachings nothing but cute, saccharine philosophies that do nothing more than make us feel like we live in a Norman Rockwell painting. The common portrayal of Jesus in contrast to today’s reading makes this very mistake. If we take it out of context we completely lose the more pointed and hard-hitting elements of today’s gospel.
So, let’s look at today’s gospel within its original context.
We cannot understand any part of it if we do not see what came before this Gospel passage: It is the famous story of the man born blind in the gospel of John. We read this in Lent and there you may remember the man was tossed from pharisees, to pharisees for believing in the one who cured him of his blindness. After being excommunicated from the temple community, and being in a sense rejected by his parents who feared a similar fate; and suffering taunts and insults by the leaders of the Jewish community of the day, he comes to Jesus and affirms his belief in Him. It is at that moment that today’s gospel happens.
Jesus is not being nice, He is making a pointed statement that mocks and insults those who attacked this man. They are the ones Jesus called thieves and marauders and He is saying it to their faces. Further, His statement that He is the Good Shepherd brings us back to the old testament reading when God, speaking through His prophets, says that He will be their shepherd. One such prophet is Ezekiel who is using words similar to what we see here, where God will lead his flock to pasture. Jesus here is echoing these words, but in doing so, He is referring, by default, to these Pharisees as enemies of God and his people.
Notice further what Jesus says in leading His sheep, that they hear His voice. In the midst of all the noise from the enemies of God’s people, they can hear the one voice of their shepherd leading them to pasture.
Let us remember this reality, for it applies to us. First, let us look at those who are not the good shepherds, they are the thieves and the marauders. That means they are the
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ones who have their own self-interest at heart and will destroy anyone and anything in the way of their own self-interest. This is who Jesus is not.
When we listen to the messages of Christ, we learn to hear His voice over all the noise that surrounds us calling us to turn from Him. What does that noise sound like: Hear the words of St. Paul to Timothy:
One image that comes to mind is that of the person who is panicked that everything is going wrong and he turns to his mentor who remains silent except to say relax and trust all will be well.
If you imagine the noise that we experience especially as Catholics, yet if we simply continue seeking to hear the word of the Good Shepherd and act on them then we will find His truth. What is he saying to us? Here are some words you will find always.
Trust, do not worry, persevere, continue, do the will of the Father, pray all those words which we find in the many ways the Lord speaks to us are his word of the shepherd to His sheep reminding us that He is leading us and despite appearances to the contrary all is ok and is in His hands. We need to simply continue on the pilgrimage until all is finished.
These are promises the thieves and marauders never give. They just give manipulations, condemnation, exploitation and eventually the sheep can see right through them. They hear the voice of the Lord, which is not as forceful, but more profound. We hear and we respond.
Let us recognize our good shepherd, hear his voice and know his truth and trust that he is leading us to eternal life.
God Bless You,
Fr. Robert J Carr
Fr. Carr is an alliance member of the New Song Community (Canção Nova). He is the pastor of St. Benedict Parish in Somerville, MA and is the editor of this blog. You may also find his videos in English at Gloria.tv. He also has a regular radio program on WebRadio Canção Nova. Which he podcasts on the Canção Nova podcast website and on Catholicismanew. He is also the author of Living Catholic Catholicism, which is available also on Kindle and soon to be available through ibook.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament © 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.