DAILY HOMILIES #sheep

Jesus did not explain himself to those asking. He said: “You are not my sheep.” Child of God, are you the sheep of Christ? Why do you still doubt? Why are you still scared of the future? Why are you worried about your enemies? Jesus says: “They shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”

Today, Jesus distinguishes the shepherd from the thief. The thief does not enter by the door but climbs another way (jumps the fence). Did I get into power through legitimate channels or “snatching, grabbing and running away with the ballot box”? Secondly, another quality of the thief is their intention. Am I in power to help the sheep (give them life) or steal from them? Is my continued stay in power destroying my sheep?

Today’s first reading describes Jesus as the shepherd who seeks out His sheep. The Psalmist sings of Jesus as the shepherd who provides our needs. The second reading hints at Jesus as the priest who sacrificed Himself for our sake. Finally, our Gospel passage depicts Jesus as the King who reigns over, before whom we shall be judged at the end of the world.

From the vision of Peter, we learn to avoid judging people simply based on where they come from. Whereas the bad shepherd, the thief thrives by creating division and sowing seeds of hatred and ethnic rivalry among the sheep, the good shepherd unites all, mends conflicts, and teaches love above anything else.

In our Gospel acclamation today, we hear Jesus say: “I know my own and my own know me.” (John 10:14) Jesus goes further to describe Himself as the Door of the Sheep meaning that it is only through Him that we can find our hearts’ desires and needs. “If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out of pasture.”

As we pray for our leaders who are not compassionate, let us also be willing to prepare ourselves to take up such leadership positions. Prayer is essential but we cannot afford to stop only at prayer. We must take action. If you think those at the helm of affairs today have failed, then you who still fear God and love the people must take an active part in replacing them. Begin by ensuring you vote your conscience, let your voice be heard, and even after the elections, do not just fold your hands.

The truth is that what matters is not how many times we fall, but how willing we are to pick ourselves back up. Like a baby learning how to walk, there is this sense of accomplishment when he recovers from a fall and staggers on again. The more we pick ourselves up, the more strength we gain to overcome that particular sin.

Just as the prophet Hosea calls on the House of Israel to repent and return back to God, we too are called to accept the difficult task of going out to call people to repentance. It is not easy to tell a person his mouth is smelling, he may hate you for it or attack you, yet, that is precisely what the mission is all about. Preaching that does not “offend” people – cause them to search inwards and change their lives is not preaching.

Mankind’s problems are too many but then, by failing to do the little we can, we contribute to the problem. Jesus did not solve all the problems in the world but He did His best. He touched lives. He made good use of His power and authority. Matthew tells us Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching, proclaiming the good news, and curing every disease and sickness. You too can do something. However, know that if you decide to work for God, people will hate you, they will try to discourage you by spreading false tales about you. Imagine the Pharisees claiming that Jesus was casting out demons by the power of demons!

Jesus says “they are not of the world even as I am not of the world.” This world is not our home. We are only passing through. We cannot have it all and we can’t expect everything to be perfect on this side of existence. We only need to be content and grateful. The book of Hebrews says: “Be content with what you have; for he has said, ‘I will never fail you nor forsake you.’ Hence, we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.’” (Hebrews 13:5-6)

Have you ever tried to tell someone what you believe only to realize you are pouring water on a stone? This was the situation Jesus found himself in with the Jews. There was just nothing that Jesus would say to them that would make them believe He is the Christ. Even when they saw all the works He did. “The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe.”

In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus did not say “all those who come to gather around me are my sheep.” Instead, He says: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me.” These three qualities distinguish the sheep of Christ; First, the sheep must hear the voice of Christ. How often do you read the Bible and meditate on it? Secondly, when Christ says “I know them” it means no one can pretend to be his sheep; you are either with Christ or with another shepherd. Thirdly, Jesus says: “they follow me,” which means, they behave like me. The sheep of Christ incarnate Christ in the world.