Word to the Wise
Monday, April 30, 2012 - 4th Week of Easter - Mon
[Acts 11:1-18 and John 10:1-10 or, in Year A, John 10:11-18,353]Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.
In Sunday's gospel scripture, we reflected on one part of the extended image that Jesus uses of the shepherd, sheep and "sheepfold" [corral]. As usual, I urge my congregation to read the entire section, verses 1-30, so that the whole image is in place while one portion is presented [also keeping in mind the even bigger picture of the Gospel of John: the revelation of Jesus as Son of God].
The "pastoral" practice of Jesus' time involved the use of a common corral [sheepfold] for all the sheep belonging to shepherds from one village. Each shepherd had a distinct "call" or sound recognized by his sheep and not by the others. This made it possible for each shepherd to come at the beginning of the day, make his call, and gather his sheep to lead them out to pasture. The method is still in use!! In this part of the image, the emphasis is on the sheep hearing the call of the true shepherd. Any other call is from a stranger who could be leading them astray. The contrasting images from the Old Testament of a "good shepherd" in Psalm 23 and bad shepherd in Ezekiel 34 can help us with this, as well.
The application of this part of the image to our own lives at this time might be expressed in the question: "Whom should I listen to?" There are many "voices" in the church, each claiming a biblical or canonical or traditional source as the basis for their authority! The history of our own church leadership over the centuries shows that even when a shepherd has all the credentials [makes the right "call"], he may not be reliable! The Holy Spirit has to work overtime at points to help us discern what is true. The benefit of any doubt should always go to the shepherd who has the right credentials and "makes the call we recognize." We celebrate today the feast of one of those shepherds, Pope St. Pius V, a Dominican, who was a principal figure in implementing the reforms of the Council of Trent. The message of Jesus' image of the shepherd applied to him as it applies today to all leadership in the church. AMEN