Both Sheep and Shepherd

Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
Good Shepherd Sunday
11 May 2014

        My brothers and sisters, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” for it is this week in all three cycles of our Sunday readings that we hear Jesus refer to Himself as this title.

        And yet, this is more than just a title – it is a way of life that we are to emulate. And it is a way of life that we need more men to accept.

        My friends, do we REALLY know the voice of the Good Shepherd? Have we TRULY taken the time to know what He is calling us to? Or do we run to the voices of strangers, since we do not know what the voice of the Good Shepherd truly sounds like?

        There was a comic I saw a few years ago of a sheep, sitting in a lounge chair, listening to his iPod, radio blasting, TV on, working on his laptop and reading a magazine. In the midst of all this, he says, “I wonder why I don’t hear from the shepherd anymore.” In the background is the shepherd calling, and under his chair, the Bible.

        How are you and I the sheep in this comic?

        Where have we allowed the modern life to become the voice of the stranger that we blindly follow?

        What are those things in our lives that block us from hearing the voice of the Shepherd?

        My brothers and sisters, part of the New Evangelization is leading others to know Jesus Christ – to help them discern the voice of the Shepherd, and to learn how to ignore the voices of the strangers. We cannot fulfill this vocation properly if we, ourselves, are not actively listening and discerning the voice of the Shepherd. And if we are unable or unwilling to hear the voice of the Shepherd, we fail in our vocation to holiness and in our vocation to evangelize; we, then, fail to bring others to the abundant life Christ promises because we are not able to attain that life ourselves.

        The call to be both sheep and shepherd is at the very heart of what it means to be Christian. We must be able to hear and listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd, and to “follow in His footsteps” (as Saint Peter reminds us in our Second Reading), so that we, in turn, may become a shepherd for others, leading them to the abundant life promised to all.

        Yet today we recognize that some from our communities are called to share in the Vocation of the Good Shepherd in a unique way – through accepting and discerning the call to the ordained priesthood. While we do celebrate today the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the emphasis is on priestly vocations – although we do continue to pray for all vocations throughout the Church and the world.

        Pope Francis, in his letter marking this great Day of Prayer, reminds us: A vocation is a fruit that ripens in a well cultivated field of mutual love that becomes mutual service, in the context of an authentic ecclesial life. No vocation is born of itself or lives for itself.  It is up to each one of us to call those young men among us to truly consider a vocation to the priesthood. Our parish family is to be one of those “well cultivated [fields] of mutual love”; our parish is to actively respond to the Holy Spirit’s promptings to encourage the young men of our parish – and of our lives – to pray about becoming a priest.

        The description of the comic I shared earlier is a true reflection of our society today. People want to hear the voice of the Shepherd, but they do everything to avoid hearing His voice. Pope Francis’ reminder that “no vocation is born of itself” is a call for each of us to promote the various vocations of the Church. I could not have become a priest on my own – it took many people to encourage and pray for me.

        Recently, Father Bob and I attended our Vicariate meeting where information was shared about the future of ministry in our beloved Diocese of Pittsburgh. The numbers, I must say, are a little frightening: Projected for the year 2020, with all things being equal and nothing extraordinary occurring, we will have around 185 priests in active ministry for close to 200 parishes and other ministries and institutions. Yes, the numbers may seem dreary. But I don’t share this information with you to depress you; I share this information with you so that we can truly realize that God still does call men from among our families and communities to share in His Priesthood! This is an invitation to prayer and to action! This is a moment not to see the bleakness of our future, but, rather, as an opportunity to help the Church of Pittsburgh to truly be a Church Alive!

        In the twenty-one months that I have been at Saint Teresa’s, there have been a number of young men whom I have met that I believe would make excellent priests. Have I talked to all of them about this? No, because the opportunity doesn’t always present itself. And, to be honest, there may be men among us that I don’t know who are considering a call to the priesthood. But it’s not my job alone to encourage these men. It’s our job together. These become the moments when the sheep becomes the shepherd. Remember: No vocation is born of itself! We must encourage others to listen for and to the voice of the Good Shepherd!

        To be a Christian, to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, is to be both sheep and shepherd. We must truly listen to and discern the voice of the Good Shepherd throughout our lives – no matter what our vocation is or is to be. Yet we have the obligation to help shepherd others to know the abundant life that Christ calls us to.

        My brothers and sisters: turn off the TV and radio; take out the ear buds and turn off the music; shut down the computer; silence the cell phones; put down the books, the magazines, the Nooks and Kindles.

        And as uncomfortable as it may be – and as frightening as it may be, sit and listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd. Listen to Him inviting you to His abundant life. Listen to Him calling you ever closer to His Heart. Listen to Him as He calls you to fulfill your vocation. After that, as uncomfortable as it may be – and as frightening as it may be, we must help shepherd the people of God closer to Him, coming to know Him as we know Him, and opening the door to His abundant life so that they may experience the fullness of His love.

        My friends, we are both sheep and shepherd. We follow the Good Shepherd and we lead others to Him. As sheep, we listen to His voice and, as shepherds, we become His voice. Yet the voice must always remain His; we must never become the voice of the stranger who mimics the voice of the Shepherd, leading others astray.

        Let us ponder the words of our Holy Father: The mystery of [Jesus’] voice is evocative. Only think that from our mother’s womb, we learn to recognize her voice and that of our father; it is from the tone of a voice that we perceive love or contempt, affection or coldness. Jesus’ voice is unique! If we learn to distinguish it, he guides us on the path of life, a path that goes beyond even the abyss of death.

 

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Enjoy the journey . . .