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What does the shepherd do for the sheep?

By Father Dennis Meinen
View from the scooter

May only goodness and love pursue those we shepherd all their days.
 
The pastor of a rich suburban parish was speaking to the CCD school kids. He told them that as the pastor he was like a shepherd and the members of his congregation were the sheep. He then put this question to them: “What does the shepherd do for the sheep?”
A little fellow in the front row, obviously the son of a farmer, raised his hand and answered, “He fleeces them.” True enough, shepherds do that. They sheer the woolen coat of a sheep. But when the Bible speaks of the leaders of God’s people as shepherds, it envisions leaders who not only feed, but protect their people as a good shepherd does for his flock.
 
I sometimes pray Psalm 23 with our residents “The Lord is my shepherd” because I know residents (your loved ones) want someone to notice they exist and will be with them in the sometimes dark valleys of their declining years. I wonder if the elderly see physical problems/disease as foes that surround them (wolves and lions).
Soon we will celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday (May 3, 2009) when God promises his people that He Himself was going to be their shepherd, their good shepherd (Ezekiel 34:15-16). This promise was fulfilled in Jesus who declared himself to be the Good Shepherd who has come “that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). He is the Good Shepherd who lays down his own life to protect his flock.
 
Before Jesus left the world, he commissioned Peter to feed his lambs and tend his sheep (John 21:15-16). The work of shepherding God’s flocks is an ongoing task that is entrusted to the whole church with Peter as head. When we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, we need to ask ourselves two important questions. (1) Am I a faithful member of God’s flock? (Only those sheep who follow the guidance of the shepherd could ever hope to arrive at the green pastures or be safe from the ravenous wolves). (2) How could I participate more closely in the work of shepherding God’s flock, even if I am disabled?
 
Bishops and pastors, as well as Catholic school teachers – all participate in various forms of shepherding God’s flock. How can I be a better shepherd where I am, reaching out with understanding and compassion to the weak and poor so that through me they may hear the loving voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd?

May we see the Lord in the people we shepherd/serve. And because we cared, may they one day say to God, “The time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. Let us pray to the Lord.” May only goodness and love pursue those we shepherd all their days.