FROM THE BEGINNING: A HUMBLED CHURCH
“Jesus said:
‘I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
. . . . This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.’” John 10: 11,17-18
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who had the power to lay down his life, chose ordinary men and women to be the apostles and disciples who would be God’s Church, shepherding the sheep. From the beginning there were problems. Judas had turned Him in, Peter denied Him and probably other apostles disciples had failed Him, too. Throughout the history of the Church, there have been problems, shepherds – bishops, priests and laity – who have failed or denied Christ, even harmed the sheep instead of protecting them.
Didn’t Jesus have the power to make us who are today’s shepherds and the first ones free from failure? But He didn’t. Ask yourself why He didn’t. I think it might have something to do with not violating our free will and with keeping us humble enough to lay down our lives for the sheep of today, even the erring ones.
GOD’S LOGIC
Jesus says in this Gospel passage that it is for these erring sheep that he “lays down His life”? – that, in the presence of these mistakes, he lays down his life? Why would he do this? Maybe because he wants us erring sheep, and those of us seeing the errs of other sheep, to not give up and go away, but to go on?
What does Jesus do when the disciples mess up? Jesus returns and commissions them to build His Church. Obviously, God’s thinking is that we should not let failings stop us from building His Church and continuing to try to lay down our lives for the sheep.
BE HUMBLE SHEPHERDS
In St. Augustine’s words, “Christ’s sheepfold is the Catholic Church” and “Christ the Lord is the low gateway into the sheepfold. She who enters by this gateway must humble herself, that she may be able to enter with head unharmed” and care for the sheep who still need care. (St. Augustine, Tractates on the Gospel of John, 45:5)
ARCHDIOCESAN ANNUAL APPEAL
It seems that every year at this time of the Annual Appeal, I hear people saying that they won’t give to the Annual Appeal because of “bad” things done by some priests, bishops and laity. Jesus could have used the same sentiments and not returned to the upper room to commission the remaining Apostles. Instead He offered them the opportunity to be humble, not to give up or run away, but to go through that low gateway of the sheepfold and continue the work of protecting the sheep. Our Archdiocese’s bishops, priests and us laity are continuing this shepherding today. (Look at the Annual Appeal videos on our website.) Why? Because from the time of our baptism, each of us has promised that, no matter what happens, we will lay down our lives and we will, in the name of Christ, lift them up again for the sake of the sheep.
We ask you please to contribute as much as you can to this year’s Annual Appeal so that our Archdiocese can continue the work of physically, spiritually and in so many other ways, caring for the sheepfold which, by the way, extends to anyone in need, not just those who say they are Catholic, for we, human beings, past, present and future, are the sheepfold of the Lord of All.
Please give to the Annual Appeal as soon as possible so that others will see in the reporting of the total pledged, that we are committed to supporting this Annual Appeal, and will be inspired to join the St. Michael Church effort to care for the needs of the people in this locale.
(Note: Just as a large organization with many local centers has a headquarters that does functions for these satellite locations, the Archdiocesan Center performs many services for us and for the other parishes of the Archdiocese.)
Sister Loretta