Eucharistic Hour- May 8, 2014
“I am the Good Shepherd, says the Lord. I know my sheep, and mine know me.” — John 10:14
This passage is the Alleluia verse for next Sunday’s Mass. Every year on the 4th Sunday of Easter, the focus of the liturgy is Christ the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep.
Last April, I was on a mission trip in a remote, rural village a few hours outside Mexico City. A small group of high school girls and I were ministering to the people in that area, and as part of the effort, trying to visit all their homes. At times, the houses were a half-mile or mile apart, up in the hills and across vast fields.
One afternoon, after a particularly long hike, we came to the house of a shepherd and his wife. It was getting close to noon, and they welcomed us into their home out of the sun for something to drink. As part of every house-visit, the high school girls read a bible passage with them and guided a simple reflection, tying in the theme of Holy Week and the upcoming celebration of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. It was from John 10, on Christ the Good Shepherd.
Afterwards, when the husband left to go back outside, some of us went with him, leaving the others to continue talking with and listening to his wife. He showed us the newest lamb, born the previous day, and how he had gone out to find it and the mother when she hadn’t come back at the end of the day.
The conversation segued into his own life as a shepherd and the care sheep required. He needed to ensure they ate the right grass and stayed away from plants that could harm them. If a storm was blowing in, he’d need to round them up, because otherwise, out of fright, they might run off or hurt themselves. Although they hated it, he needed to shear them, to keep them from over-heating in the summer, and to make it easier to remove ticks and bugs that burrow in their fur.
He knew them all so well, that with a glance, he could tell that one or some were missing; then, realizing which ones they were, he’d set out to find them according to where they might be. Yes, they complained a lot. Yes, some often wandered off on their own, only to find themselves alone and lost. Yes, some were slower than others, and some needed to be picked up and carried back home. That was all in a day’s work.
But for him, being a shepherd wasn’t just work. It was who he was. He saw each of his sheep– not as a fluffy animal that bleated obnoxiously to feed and tend so to provide for the family- but as his very own. It was evident that he would do anything for his sheep. His sheep occupied his thoughts, influenced his decisions, and had a very deep place in his heart. He had the heart of a shepherd.
Right now, we are before Jesus, who waits expectantly for us to open the gates of our hearts to him, our Good Shepherd. Do you know what’s in the heart of your Shepherd? Do you know the way he gazes out over all the rest to catch sight of you? He protects you? He cares for you? He shows you his heart? His love?
Today he wants to give you the opportunity to know what’s in his shepherd’s heart.
