THE SHEPHERDS THAT WE ARE: GOOD OR BAD?

HOMILY FOR THE 4^TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR B

Rev. Fr. Ezekoka Peter Onyekachi

The Good Shepherds Sunday reminds us of the love and care of God. It is a day that preaches Christ as our good Shepherd, and as well challenges us to imitate Christ in becoming good shepherds ourselves. In the Gospel (John 10:11-18) of today, Christ spells it out categorically that he is the good shepherd as against the bad ones. He makes a comparison between the good and the bad shepherd.

1) The good shepherd protects and fights for the sheepfold in readiness to offer his life for them. An example of this is in 1 Samuel 17:34-35 when David told the story of how he wrestled with the lion and the bear in a bid to protect the father’s sheep. The good shepherd was always ready to risk his life in defense of the flock. There was also the bad shepherd who is not ready to protect the flock. He is only there in the guise of a shepherd when there is no intruder. But when an intruder comes, he leaves the flock and runs away. This shows that he never truly loved the sheep. He does not really care for the sheep. Perhaps, his interest is to shepherd the sheep simply to maturity when they can be sold for financial income. All he sees in the sheep is money and personal enrichment. This is also true about some relationships; some friends are like bad shepherds to fellow friends. They are there to be with you during the peaceful moments, but when the going gets tough, they take to their heels.

2) Now, the difference between the good and the bad shepherd is this. The good shepherd is faithful while the bad shepherd is unfaithful. As the good shepherd loves and cares the sheep, the bad shepherd only pretends to love and care for the sheep. And because the good shepherd loved truly his sheep, the sheep were his friends. He smells like them, plays with them, pets them, and takes care of the wounded among them; and so he thinks of them even more than he thinks of himself. The bad shepherd detests the smell of the sheep. He claims to be a shepherd, yet does not act like one. He hates to get so close to the sheep for the fear of being soiled or stained. He is prone to allow a particular sheep to die of ill health, because he hates to bear it on his shoulders for treatment. The good shepherd sees his work as a vocation and is truly called. He lives out his calling. He acts as the owner of the sheep. The bad shepherd sees his work as solely a career; as a means of making money. He does the work solely for the pay he could get. He acts as a hired labourer. He is not interested in the enormity of the task but in the financial pay after the work.

3) The good shepherd knows that there are threats to his work. He builds himself ready to face the challenges. For the time of Jesus, wolves were a great threat. This is why Jesus told his disciples that he was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves (Mat. 10:16). Paul also warned the elders of Ephesus that grievous wolves would come not sparing the flock (Acts 20:29). We know a good shepherd when he is able to face and withstand the challenges. He knows that surmounting challenges is part and parcel of his duty. However, a bad shepherd does not believe in such. He believes that the challenges only multiply the work, and if at all he works to surmount them, he expects an extra pay. The point in all these is that the good shepherd loves the work more than the reward, whereas the bad shepherd loves the reward more than the work. The bad one prioritizes money over any other thing in his area of work, where as the good one prioritizes service over any other thing. This teaches us that challenges are bound to be involved in our areas of work; indeed, they make work more interesting. Embrace the challenges and work to conquer them.

4) Taking the issue to how employees manage the business of the employers, these questions come to mind: What is it that I do that makes me a good shepherd? What is it that I do that makes me a bad shepherd? To strive to be a good shepherd in your area of vocation, career or profession, certain things are involved. There is an employer, and there is an employee. Employers are happy when they see employees handling their business ventures as theirs. House owners are happy seeing tenants take care of their building as if it was theirs. The government is happy seeing the citizen work for the state selflessly. Every employer desires maximum cooperation and sacrifice from the employee. Now, a good employer takes care of the employees so well that he goes beyond the normal salary. He not only pays the employees their due, but goes beyond it to ask them about their welfare, takes care of their health (if he sincerely can), takes them out for sight-seeing, protects them against any unjust aggressor, visits their homes, giving lunch (if he sincerely can), etc. Bad employers do not do all these; they even find it difficult to pay the salaries of their employees. This is evil.

5) The employees must understand that service is paramount. The employee too is a shepherd. It pays to work and handle the business of the master well, for such a good attitude makes one to acquire his. We have to handle the property of the landlord well for in so doing we attract the grace of becoming landlords. This is also true in our relationship with God. If we work well for God in service to Him and to humanity, we qualify to live with him in heaven. The employee ought to strive sincerely to keep to the rules of the business. He must go beyond the work assigned him, to include loving the work. He does this by checking for ways and avenues of improving the business and giving candid advice for that, calling the attention of the employer or landlord on seeing any possible danger, fighting against enemies of the business. Bad employees/tenants (shepherds) join forces with enemies to bring about the downfall of their hosts. This is evil.

6) Christ is the Good shepherd. The Church of Christ is the flock. He takes care of the Church so well, irrespective of her sins. Just as facing challenges as part of the mission of the good shepherd, Christ faces crucial challenges in the Church. He wards off the enemies of the Church. Surely, the Church is always under attack, from outside and even from within from wolves and robbers. Christ is her cornerstone, and this is why no weapon can destroy her. Our Good Shepherd has laid down his life for the Church and even still does. He heals the Church of her sins, and bandages the wounds caused by these aggressors. This is why Peter in the First Reading reminds us that the healing of the cripple is done in the name of Jesus Christ. He is the cornerstone of the Church and the dispenser of salvation to all. This is/was possible because of the love of the Father; it is because we are God’s children, the sheep of his flock (cf. Second Reading; 1 John 3:1-2). May we continue to remain in this sheepfold, now and always. Happy New Week. God bless you.