REFLECTION
THE CALL TO BE SHEPHERDS
José Mario Nieto
This Sunday’s gospel talks about Jesus the Good Shepherd (Jn
10:11-18). We are very familiar with this image of Jesus. We have seen plenty
of drawings in churches and others places of Jesus carrying a sheep on his
shoulders. This image that seems delicate and adorable reflects a profound
reality that entails a lot of effort and a constant care from the shepherd.
During the summer of 2013, I had the great opportunity of making
my second trip to Holy Land. During my stay there I came to know people who
worked as shepherds. They explained to us the difficulty of being a shepherd
nowadays. The most difficult thing, they said, is to make the sheep hear their
voices amidst all the noise that the busy city has. Even on the mountains some
sounds can make the sheep nervous, because they are very sensitive to sharp and
loud noises. In order to make the sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd and
become familiarized with it, he has to take the sheep on his shoulders and sing
or talk for a period of time while walking and carrying the weight of the sheep
around. The shepherd will do that with those sheep that have a hard time
following him or those who are less domesticated.
At the end of the day, the shepherd will be very tired and,
of course, smell like the sheep. This is precisely the characteristic that Pope
Francis mentioned two years ago in one of his homilies regarding what a good
shepherd is. “This I ask
you: be shepherds, with the ‘odor of the sheep’, make it real, as shepherds
among your flock,” he famously said to priests during Holy Thursday. Although he was speaking directly to priests, I
wonder: Aren’t we all called to be shepherds? Aren’t we all called to take care
of those around each of us?
Do you remember Cain’s answer to God’s when He questions him
about his brother Abel; am I my brother’s
keeper? Well, yes, we are! We are our bother and sister’s keepers.
Therefore we are all called to “shepherd” those in need, to the point of “smelling”
like them. As imitators of Jesus the Good Shepherd, we should ask ourselves: how do I take care of my brothers and
sisters? And how much effort do I put
in leading them to a safe place with Jesus? Am I willing to carry those who are in need even when this requires
giving up my time and pleasures?
I hope this image of the Good Shepherd becomes an incentive
for all of us, to follow Jesus and lead also others to
Him.
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