Good Shepherd Sunday

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Suffering is the currency of love. You only love someone as much as you are willing to suffer for them. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so we could have everlasting life. Jesus so loved us that he willingly suffered the ultimate death to become our salvation and redemption. Catholicism isn’t for the faint of heart. When viewed through the eyes of the world it makes little sense. We willingly submit ourselves to the suffering of fasting and abstinence. We deny ourselves pleasures the world treasures. We offer penance when we stray from the straight and narrow. These things get us criticized, ridiculed, and mocked, not just by the world, but from other Christians as well.

The world believes that freedom is the ability to do whatever you want, whenever you want, wherever you want. Our faith teaches us that true freedom is the ability to choose to do what we ought to do over that which we want to do. True freedom is the ability to live fully without being a slave to our passions. Many view the Church as nothing more than a bunch of grumpy old men in plastic collars who impose medieval restrictions upon us to spoil our ability to have fun. In reality, the Church is a mother who wants only the best for her children.

God created us and knows what is best for us. The Father sent the Son to be the good shepherd to show us the way to live to have life abundantly here and now. Thy rod and thy staff comfort me. A shepherd’s rod and staff have a two-fold purpose. They are tools used to protect the flock from predators that wish to feed on the sheep. They are also tools used to keep the sheep in line. A good shepherd will not allow his flock to just wonder where they will. He uses his rod and staff to keep the flock together in a safe place where they can graze without worry. The rod and staff protect, but they also correct. Good sheep know the voice of their shepherd. They follow and obey his commands.

The world, through the influence of the devil, wishes to rob us of the salvation Jesus won for us through his crucifixion. It does everything it can to lure us away from the flock, away from the protection of our shepherd. The shepherd has setup the sheepfold. He has given us boundaries to keep us safe. These boundaries are the teachings of our mother, the Church. Those who hear the voice of the shepherd obey these teachings. No one can take your salvation from you, but you can freely reject it. You do so when you ignore the voice of the shepherd and leave the sheepfold. You do so when you willfully reject the teachings of the Church.

But Christ, the good shepherd, will leave the flock and come to look for you when you go astray. When a lamb cries out in repentance the shepherd is there to bring it back to the flock. There is great joy in heaven when a lamb returns to the flock. Do not grow disheartened if you are made to suffer in this world for listening to the voice of your shepherd heard through the teachings of your faith. Suffering is the currency of love and we show our love for the one who suffered everything for us through our obedience to him.