Introduction
For most of us I think it is safe to say this image of the Shepherd is not
something we see very much everyday. It was a very common scene in
the early Church: – it is a common scene in the Middle East. People in
the early Church could really understand what was involved in being a
shepherd. It was very real and earthy to them. The Biblical figure of the
Shepherd – has been romanticized a lot in paintings, pictures, Holy
Cards, “rosy cheeked young men – among pure white fluffy sheep on
beautiful green hillsides – very serene and peaceful.”
I did a little research into what Shepherds were like in the Time of
Jesus. It was a very lonely, dirty, dangerous job – that could not be
managed from a distance. Shepherds lived among the sheep in the filth
and stench – the lives of the sheep were their primary concern. A sheep
sometimes wandered far off from the others – when it got lost and could
not find its way back, it would simply lie down where it was and refuse
to budge – the shepherd would search out for the lost sheep – carefully
pick it up and carry it home. There was a personal relationship between
the Shepherd and each individual sheep. They were not just numbers.
I believe this image of the Shepherd points us to God. God is
not squeamish; God will not run away when things get messy in our
lives; – God’s hands are dirty (not lily white); God’s clothes are stained
with waste, mud and blood – the waste, mud and blood of our roller
coaster lives. This God gets in the middle of the mess with us.
Does the mess magically disappear? Not most of the time; but
there is a sense we are not alone and that helps us get through it. A key
question for us; Are we afraid to share our messes with God?
How does this shepherding image of God come alive? Become real to
people – Today –
I believe most of the time thru people – we are called to be shepherds
for each other. We are responsible to pick each other up when we are
down.
“I thought just priests and ministers were shepherds – no we all are if
we call ourselves Christian and mean it.”
“Don’t we need special skill and talents – training to do this? No! We
need a caring heart, a little common sense and a few less excuses.
“What about when you don’t have the answers or solutions to people’s
problems? You don’t know what to say or do. Just listen and just be
there for them.
I close with a story I am sure we all have heard;
A man dreamed he died and went to heaven and there was met
by Jesus. The man had lived a long Christian life, but it had not been
without some time of great trial and tribulation as well as those times
of joy and victory. As he met with Christ, the man was given a
panoramic review of his life – all the highlights and low periods. In
the review of his life one of the things that continued throughout were
his footsteps along the sands of time.
Archive for the ‘Easter’ Category
The Good Shepherd 4-25-2021
Sunday, April 25th, 2021God is Waiting to be Found 4-18-2021
Sunday, April 18th, 2021The disciples ran to Jerusalem with exciting news.
“We just saw Jesus,” they exclaimed.
The others crowded around to get the details. They all wanted to
know how he looked. And you would have thought that these two
people who had just seen Jesus would have remembered how he looked,
but they could not do it. What was wrong with them?
All they could say were things like:
“He looked like a father stretching out his hands to his prodigal son
and his older brother.”
“He looked like he did when he laid his hands on all the sick,
restoring them all to health.”
“He looked like he did when he took Jairus’s daughter by the hand
and brought her back to life.”
“He looked like the apostles when they distributed those five
loaves and two fishes to those five thousand hungry people. “He looked like the hemorrhaging woman who reached out her
hand and touched his cloak and was healed.”
“He looked like the woman who washed his feet with her perfume
and was blessed with his forgiveness and peace.”
“He looked like the widow with hands folded in prayer, seeking
justice from that corrupt judge.”
“He looked like he did on the night before he died when he took
bread and broke it saying, ‘This is my body to be given up for you. Do
this as a remembrance of me.’”
So this is how they described Jesus’ appearance. And every time
after that, whenever they saw hands reaching out to touch the lives of
others, they saw Jesus alive.
I close with this story: A little boy was playing hide-and-seek with
his friends. For some unknown reason they stopped playing while he
was hiding. He began to cry. His old grandfather came out of the house
to see what was troubling him and to comfort him. After learning what
had happened, the grandfather said, “Do not weep, my child, because the boys did not come to find you. Perhaps you can learn a lesson from this disappointment. All of life is like a game between God and us. Only it
is God who is weeping, for we are not playing the game fairly. God is
waiting to be found, but many have gone in search of other things.”
In so many ways, the risen Christ is in our midst, present in the
love, charity and goodness of others, in the Sacrament of Eucharist, in
God’s Word – Broken and Shared, in the Community of Faith Filled
People and in moments of Grace and Prayer. Unfortunately, we often do
not realize it.
May our celebration open our hearts and spirits to recognize Christ
among us in every season of our life. “Lord, help us not to miss you.
Amen.”
Easter: “God Alive” 4-4-2021
Sunday, April 4th, 2021We have all seen images from all around the world: the death and
devastation in the wake of earthquakes, floods, tsunami’s, and tornadoes.
We shake our heads in disbelief: How could God let such a thing
happen? Where was God for these people?
But in the darkness of such tragedy, listen to the angel of Easter
morning: Look beyond the stone; God is not entombed but very much
alive here. See the doctor who leaves his practice to travel half way
around the world to help care for the survivors? See the relief workers
who work night and day setting up clinics and camps, drilling fresh
water wells and rebuilding roads? See the churches and schools and
communities around the world who mobilize to collect money and
clothing and food and medicine? God is not buried in the rubble – God
is raised up in such compassion and generosity.
As the temperature hovers around zero, a fire destroys a city block.
Several people are killed, many are seriously hurt; scores of families are suddenly homeless, everything they own lost in the blaze. We feel for
their plight: How could God let this happen? Where was God for them
this night?
But in the ashes, the angel at the entrance of the tomb asks: Why
do you see God in the ruins? Didn’t you see the firefighter who risked
his life to save that five-year-old trapped on the sixth floor? Didn’t you
see the EMTs work miracles in treating the victims of burns and smoke
inhalation and rush to get them to hospitals? Didn’t you see the
volunteers who came with food and blankets, helping the homeless take
the first difficult steps in rebuilding their lives? God is not among the
ashes – God is alive in the selflessness and sacrifice exhibited this
horrible night.
War takes many forms and is waged in many places. Wars are
fought globally, nationally, and locally; wars are waged not only in
jungles and ravaged cities, on the streets of Salinas, Watsonville, Santa
Cruz—yes, even in Monterey and Vatican City, but also in offices and
school yards, in kitchens and bedrooms. We cry: How can God let us keep destroying one another? Where is God in the midst of such hatred
and violence, such greed and deceit?
But the angel of the empty tomb assures us: Don’t be afraid. God
walks among you in those who have dedicated their lives to the work of
peace, who empty themselves of their own wants and needs in order to
bring consolation and hope to others, who work tirelessly to tear down
walls of bigotry and build bridges across the divides of race and culture
and class, who find their joy seeking joy for another.
God lives, the angel assures us. God goes to meet you. Look –
and you will see God.
I close. Overwhelmed by the tragedies and devastation that
surround us, we can become mired in a Good Friday mindset: We shake
our heads and wonder how God the almighty Creator of all things can let
such evil befall this world. But Easter calls us to realize a much
different vision: God is not to be found in the tragedies that befall us or
the evil that entraps us; God is found in the love, compassion and
forgiveness God raises up in the hearts of those men and women whose lives reflect God’s presence in our midst. God has raised up his crucified Son, who walks among us in all that is good and right and
giving, in everyone and everything that transforms our world from
darkness to light, from despair to hope, from death to life. On this
Easter morning, may the stones of hurt and cynicism be rolled back from
our hearts and spirits, enabling us all to behold the Risen God before us.
Let us stand and profess our faith in God – alive and among us.
