Dear friends in Christ
Starting in the book of Genesis, God has always been known as a good shepherd. Many Christians are familiar with the verse in the Gospels where Jesus says plainly, I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11). For this and other reasons, early Christians clung on to this image of Jesus and some of the earliest artwork we have is of Jesus, as Good Shepherd. However, this image of God is not new. The Old Testament is full of verses that describe God as a good shepherd. When Israel (Jacob) was blessing his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, he speaks of God as a shepherd. May the God in whose presence my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd from my birth to this day (Genesis 48:15) This was only the beginning, as the people of Israel would frequently be referred to as a flock, especially when they went astray. God even chose a shepherd—David—to lead His people as king. In this context, it’s not surprising that the book of Psalms is full of shepherd symbolism. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. (Psalm 23:1) For He is our God, we are the people He shepherds, the sheep in His hands. (Psalm 95:7) Many of the prophets also spoke of God as a shepherd who feeds, guides and protects His flock. What this should teach us is that God loves us tenderly, as a shepherd looks over and watches His flock. He does not want one of them to perish and will search far and wide for the one sheep that strayed from the ninety-nine.
It is a beautiful image to meditate on, one that both Jews and Christians have contemplated for thousands of years. If you have never spent time imagining Jesus as a good shepherd, take a few minutes and picture it in your mind, with you as the one sheep that he tenderly puts on his shoulders and takes to greener pastures. The image in our Memorial Garden—the most ancient image we have of Jesus from the Roman Catacombs of the third century—is a simple and noble representation of this truth.
On this Sunday we pray for our Shepherds: the Pope, Bishops and Priests, that they may faithfully and prudently guide us along the road to Heaven. We also pray for vocations to the Priesthood—that God will inspire the hearts and minds of our young people to follow Him in a life of consecrated service of His people.
We offer our prayerful good wishes and congratulations to our Bishop, Alan Williams, who this Sunday gives thanks to God for his fortieth anniversary of priestly ordination. I have sent him the assurance of the prayers of the Parish family here.
God bless you!
Msgr Kevin Hale