Spiritual Corner -- Good Shepherd Sunday

Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd”. Most of us are not shepherds, but we must have seen sheep and know that they are gentle animals and are not able to fend for themselves against ferocious animals. The sheep will follow their shepherd, and you may have noticed that the shepherd walks in front of the sheep, calls them and they will follow him.

The word “shepherd” implies a responsible leader, he bears the image of someone who loves his duties and cares for others. The prophets in the Old Testament while addressing God as a real shepherd actually regarded Him as someone who really cared for His people. When Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd”, what He meant was that He was performing the duties of a good shepherd, that is, as a good shepherd, He knows his sheep. He knows the names of His sheep, even if there were as many as a hundred. As a good shepherd, Jesus knows each of us “by our names” and understands our innermost needs.

A good shepherd leads his sheep, safeguards them and takes care of them. Jesus leads us safely in the Church. He nourishes us with His body and His blood. He forgives us
our sins and leads us to our eternal home. The Lord says, “I am the good shepherd”, and the good shepherd sacrifices his life for his sheep. Jesus, as our good shepherd, sacrifices Himself so as to enable us to get rid of evils. He would do it in accordance with His own wish, not because we deserve it, but just out of His love and care for us. He undertakes our frailty, He was born condescendingly to be human, and became one of us.

Most of the shepherds do love their sheep, feed them, protect them, but when they die, the sheep will be left behind. The good shepherd Jesus is different, though He has
died for His sheep, He still lives with them, using His own body and blood to nourish and fend for them. This is the uniqueness of the good shepherd Jesus. To His sheep, He is the way, the life and the resurrection.

The sheep also recognize their shepherd. They know his voice, follow him. The sheep recognize their shepherd because he loves them. They do not recognize strangers and
when strangers approach them, they will get irritated. However, they do love their shepherd because they know he loves them. The Pope has said, the shepherd should have
the odour of his sheep, just like the fisherman has the fishy smell.

On this World Vocation Sunday today, we should ask ourselves: do we care for vocation? Do we wish to have more priestly vocation? Do we wish to have more priests to serve our parish or our diocese? If the answer is positive, then what should we do? Do parents only pray that children of other families will become priests, friars and nuns?
Have we prayed for the vocation of our own children? As a youth, have we considered God’s invitation? Are we willing to respond to God’s invitation and step forward to try?

The harvest is plenty but the labourers are few. Let us pray that the vineyard owner will send more workers to reap His harvest. Let us help to promote consecrated vocation
with our prayers and actions.

Yours,
Fr. Philip Tan, CDD