Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Br. Robert James Magliula, OHC
Easter 4 B - Sunday, April 25, 2021
The life of a shepherd was dangerous, risky, and menial. For Jesus to say, “ I am the good shepherd” would be an affront to the religious elite of his day. The claim had an edge to it. According to John what makes him good is his willingness to get involved, to risk his life for the life of his flock---the one he has bred, doctored and protected. He is invested in them. They are his livelihood, but they are also his extended family. They know his voice, his touch, his walk. They develop a language of their own. His voice is the sound of safety for them. He knows them by name and disposition. If they are grazing with a thousand other sheep and he calls them, they will separate themselves and follow him home. In contrast, the hired hand runs at the first sign of danger.
This text speaks of intimacy and security. There is something about ownership that creates intimacy, especially ownership of living things. Anyone who has owned a dog or a cat knows how they can become a soul friend who knows how you are feeling when no one else does. They really are extensions of us, creatures who are so much a part of our lives that sometimes it is not easy to tell who owns whom. Ownership is a kind of relationship that is not about mere possession, but about being bound to something beyond ourselves.
We moderns like to think of sheep as low maintenance---especially when they are supposed to reflect us. Sheep might get lost, but they never snarl or bite. They don’t seem to be territorial. They seem to be easy going, passive, dependent, and very obedient---just like us. They don’t need to be pushed or prodded. They are so good at taking direction that unlike cows who must be driven, sheep, prefer to be led. All of this is very sentimental, but not very real as far as sheep or human beings are concerned.
John describes not only how Jesus relates to us but also how we are to relate to one another. We are called by Christ to make a Gospel difference in the world. That means becoming life giving for other people. Life-giving relationships are how we follow the lead of the shepherd who walks ahead of us. His call to us is to enter into life-giving bonds with one another. When he speaks of the hired hand, the lack of care is about taking, not giving. A hired hand isn’t invested in the sheep and won’t risk his life to protect theirs. The shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
For Christians, self-sacrifice should be ordinary, not extraordinary. The Christian life, as the monastic life, is a life laid down for others, a life built on self-sacrifice. When we lay down the completely human desire to live for ourselves and let the love of God reorient us toward the needs of others, we are laying down our lives. When we make time, when we put others first, when we live for the good of others, we are laying down our lives. This was Benedict’s and the Founder’s vision in their Rule. To lay down one’s life is to open one’s heart to needs that are visible. If we close our hearts to others, we close our hearts to God. In the last of the post Resurrection appearances before the Ascension, Jesus refers to sheep again when he says, "Feed my sheep." Feed my sheep by hearing me, by following me, by becoming me, by loving the lost, the hurt, the fearful. Feed my sheep by letting me feed you; feed my sheep by listening to my voice and by allowing me to love you. What a relief and joy that we can just "be," safe in the protected care of God who loves us as we are and who is willing to provide all it takes for us to be the persons we were meant to be.
The First Letter of John from our Epistle is a commentary on the Gospel of John. It tells us how loved we are, and how by listening to and following God we become like Jesus. Listening to God takes place in the heart, a slow and simple language of presence and love. Since Christ is the concrete embodiment of God’s love, we cannot believe in Jesus without believing in love, and we cannot have love without action. John gives us no room to negotiate. Love is not only a word, but a deed. “let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.” Love is known in action.
The shepherd’s voice is key. “I know mine and my own know me.” We all hunger to know and to be known. Forming authentic community is hard work. There are many voices within vying for our attention. We dole out parts of ourselves in stingy bits and pieces, avoid being vulnerable with each other, hold back our feelings and thoughts, are afraid to confront each other. We judge each other without mercy, hold grudges, set impossibly high standards for ourselves and each other. Good intentions are misunderstood and rejected, and commitments are avoided to not risk abuse. Trusting each other is difficult. Sometimes we own others’ problems which ends up crippling them and us, by eroding responsibility for our own lives. When we make a habit of rescuing other people, we prevent them from learning about the consequences of their actions. We help them keep their illusions about themselves, and we get to be heroes in the bargain, but it is not good for them or for us. Everyone deserves a chance to fail. It is how we learn to be human.
Often, like sheep, we go astray. Jesus assures us that our fears are real and that there is an alternative. Our emptiness and anxiety can be relieved, because we have one who knows us and cares for us, is our constant companion, is willing to die for us. He promises to never let us go. We belong to him.
The Good Shepherd is a powerful image for all who hunger for connection in a society that values individualism. In our moments of loneliness, alienation, and hopelessness, the Good Shepherd responds to our deepest yearnings for community by offering an alternative to our fears and insecurities. We need to remember that the relationship between sheep and shepherd is based upon what the shepherd does, rather than what the sheep do. It’s all about who the shepherd is rather than who we are. Listen for the shepherd’s voice so that we in turn may allow the shepherd’s voice to speak through us.
Amen.
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