There is a lot of talk of shepherds in the readings today.
In our first reading, Jeremiah condemns the false shepherds who have not cared
for their people. He warns that they will be punished by God for the evil they
have done. The good news, Jeremiah prophesies, is that God will raise up a loving
shepherd to care for his people. The we heard the beautiful psalm 23, a
statement of trust in God who is the true and perfect shepherd. And in our
gospel today, we see genuine, loving shepherds as we read about the return of
the Apostles from their first mission and the compassionate heart of Christ as
he teaches the crowd. These are beautiful readings; ones which have comforted
generations of Christians. In order for us to fully appreciate the power of our
gospel today and its significance for our own lives, we have to understand the
situation of Jeremiah and the importance of his prophecy.
Jeremiah
was living in Israel around the sixth century BC. He was a prophet for the
Lord’s people but he was largely ignored. At the time of Jeremiah, the kingdom
of Israel was on its last leg due to the moral corruption of her kings. Since
the beginning of the monarchy, with King Saul, some five centuries earlier,
this had been a constant problem. In
fact, the very institution of the monarchy was a result of Israel’s lack of
faith in God. As God’s people saw other kingdoms around them with their kings
and wealth, they wanted to be just like them. Instead of being led by God
and his prophets and judges, they wanted to be led by a king, just like their
pagan neighbors. The judge and prophet Samuel, warned against establishing a
monarchy. He realized the danger of
power, the weakness of the human heart, and our tendency towards sin.
He knew that it was easy for people to put too
much trust in a human leader rather than God. And so, around 1000 BC, many
years before Jeremiah, and before the first king took the throne, Samuel
prophesied that the kings of Israel, who were supposed to protect God’s people,
would in fact abuse them, enslave them, rob them, and misuse
their kingly power. Reading through the Old Testament, we see this to be true,
from the first king to the last.
Which
brings us back to Jeremiah and his condemnation of the false shepherds, who are
the corrupt kings of Israel. God promises, through Jeremiah, that he will
appoint a true shepherd and holy king
who will care for his people and bring peace and security. That shepherd and
king is Christ, the Son of God. We see the depth of Jesus’ compassion, as
he looks out on the people who have gathered to hear him and his heart is moved
with pity for them because they are spiritually lost and hungry, like sheep
without a shepherd. And although Jesus and his apostles were tired and hungry,
they taught the people, they cared for them and fed them both spiritually and
physically. In short, they embodied the true shepherds described by the prophet
Jeremiah.
2500 years after Jeremiah, we face some of the same
problems. Like Israel, we want to be prosperous and powerful, like the
generations before us. We desire good and compassionate leaders who will care for
us and look out for our best interests. As a result, we place our trust in
people to lead and protect us. This, in itself, is a necessary thing. But if we
start placing our faith in our political leaders, trusting that they will be the ones to fulfill us,
that they will shower us with
blessings and prosperity, that they
will solve societies’ problems and help bring about heaven on earth, we will
always be disappointed.
More often than not, these days, people are
suspicious of institutions and authority. For our time, the greater temptation
is to be self-shepherded; to place one's trust in oneself. We are encouraged by
society and inclined by original sin to try and guide ourselves towards
happiness and salvation.
Perhaps the question we need to reflect on this week
(and I am including myself) is this: What or who is my shepherd? What leads me
and guides my decisions? In what do I place my trust? Is it in myself, my talents,
my plans, or my resources. Do I rely on my finances to be my shepherd? Or my
career? Or my popularity? Or my possessions? Maybe I am led by something more
sinister or negative. Perhaps, deep down, I am guided by guilt, self-hatred,
fear, resentment, or addiction? We might not think of these things as our shepherds,
but if they are the force that drives us, then that is what they are.
We can choose any shepherd we like; Jesus respects
our freedom. But only one shepherd can protect us and fulfill what we truly
need. This one, true shepherd is Christ. When
we cry out, he comes to us, when we search for him, he is there to help
us, and when we are in danger, he is
there to protect us. But the most marvelous thing of all is when we wander off and stray away from him,
he seeks us out and calls us back to him. Through the timeless teaching of
the Church, by the Eucharist and the sacrament of reconciliation, he continues to be the Good Shepherd we
need and desire.
So make it easy on yourself! Don't subject your life
to heartache and disappointment by making people or worldly powers the shepherd
that leads you. Don't try to do it by yourself; not a single one of us has all
the wisdom or answers necessary to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Allow yourself
to be healed, to be fed, to be led by Jesus and then you will be able to say confidently
the words of our psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall
want.”
