These two brief parables in the Gospel reveal Jesus as our unique means to salvation, our Good Shepherd. He is the “sheep gate,” the gateway to eternal life, and the selfless, caring “shepherd” who provides protection and life itself. Jesus presents a comparison between a concerned shepherd and a hireling who is there only for the paycheck. The good shepherd is willing to pay any price to protect the sheep, even if it means that he has to give His very life for them. Christ, the Chief Shepherd, knows our individual weaknesses and failings and watches over us with discerning love and sympathetic understanding. With infinite concern He notes the doubts, fears, trials, conflicts, and defeats that disturb our peace, and He swiftly comes to our aid Jesus is warning his hearers and reminding us, “don’t be scammed” – only thieves and robbers seek to enter the sheepfold by any means other than the door.
Tony Campolo loved to tell the story of a particular census taker who went to the home of a rather poor family in the mountains of West Virginia to gather information. He asked the mother how many dependents she had. She began, “Well, there is Rosie, Billy and Lewella, Susie, Harry and Jeffrey. There’s Johnny, Harvey, and our dog, Wille.” The census taker interrupted her: “No, ma’am, that’s not necessary. I only need the humans.” “Ah,” she said. “Well, there is Rosie, Billy, and Lewella, Susie, Harry, and Jeffrey, Johnny, Harvey, and…” At this the exasperated man he said, “No, ma’am, you don’t seem to understand. I don’t need their names. I just need the numbers.” The woman replied, “But I don’t know their numbers. I only know them by name.”
In today’s gospel Jesus, the Good Shepherd, says that he knows his sheep by name. Although there may be several flocks sharing the same sheepfold, when the shepherds walk up to the gate and call their sheep, each one instantly recognizes the voice of its own shepherd. When he calls, they instinctively follow (they are led and they follow, they are not driven, that’s for goats). They will ignore the voice of any shepherd other than their own. We will hear many voices competing for our attention, but there is a special note to the voice of Jesus that demands our immediate and full attention.
A man in Australia was arrested and charged with stealing a sheep. But he claimed emphatically that it was one of his own that had been missing for many days. When the case went to court, the judge was puzzled. Not knowing how to decide the matter, he at last asked that the sheep be brought into the courtroom. Then he ordered the plaintiff to step outside and call the animal. The sheep made no response except to raise its head and look frightened. The judge then instructed the defendant to go to the courtyard and call the sheep. When the accused man began to make his distinctive call, the sheep bounded toward the door. It was obvious that he recognized the familiar voice of his master. “His sheep knows him,” said the judge. “Case dismissed!”
There is no question that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. The only question that remains at this point is this: Do you know the Shepherd? Do you recognize His voice?
~Reflection by Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB
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