“The Lord God Is My
Good Shepherd.”
(Ps 23:1; Jn 10:11)
(Ps 23:1; Jn 10:11)
Dear Sisters
and Brothers in Christ,
From
the Readings of this XVI Sunday in the Ordinary Time, Year B, we can learn the
message which the Lord God wants to send to each and one of us, His chosen people. God’s message is this: it is the Lord God Who
always loves and cares for us the way a good shepherd loves and cares for his
sheep.
A shepherd
symbolizes a guide, a leader of a community, of a country. The Old Testament fondly prays to the Lord God
as “the shepherd of Israel”. King David
was tending his father’s sheep when the Lord God anointed him king. A good shepherd, as pictured in the
responsorial hymn taken from Psalm 23, dedicates his life to the care of his
sheep. He brings them to green pastures,
to clean and fresh water, and to safe rest place. He would risk his own life to protect his
sheep from any harm and danger.
Unfortunately,
there are evil shepherds, as reported in the First Reading taken from the Book
of the Prophet Jeremiah, who “mislead and scatter the flock.” Later in the New Testament Our Lord Jesus
Christ identifies those evil shepherds as “thieves and robbers” who only take
advantage of the sheep, abuse and exploit them to increase their personal
interests and satisfy their ambitions.
They will run away for their life and leave the sheep to the mercy of
the hungry wolves.
However, the
Lord God never abandons His sheep in danger.
He will personally punish evil shepherds and care for His sheep by
sending good shepherds after His compassionate heart. He did send good shepherds along the history
of salvation. Finally He sent His Only
Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, the true Good Shepherd, Who laid down His Life to
save the sheep from sin and death and give them happy and eternal life.
It is Christ
Who came, as told by Saint Paul in the Second Reading taken from the Letter to
the Ephesians, to pull down all forms of division, hatred and evil. He reconciled sinners to God the Father. He brought people of different social, cultural,
and religious traditions into one family, one flock of God the loving, merciful
and forgiving Father.
The message
of God which we receive today is so great a consolation for us when we suffer
from many forms of evil. We feel painful
to see, both in society and in the Church, bad examples overrun good
examples. Sometimes we have almost lost
our hope for a better society, for a more credible and trustful Church. We even find it hard to believe that the Lord
God is still taking control of this world, and that Christ is still staying
with the Church as He has promised.
No, we
should not be worried, afraid or confused.
The Lord God
is our Good Shepherd and Christ staying with the Church, giving us His Word,
His Body and Blood for our food.
Let us put
our faith in Christ Who leads us to green pastures of eternal life in the
Church and in God’s kingdom.
By Fr. Francis Nguyen, O.P.
