Jer 23:1-6
Ps 23:1-3, 3-4, 5, 6
Eph 2:13-18
Mk 6:30-34
When I first started discerning the idea of becoming a priest, it never occurred to me to discern what it meant to be a shepherd. As I went through formation and I started to open the scriptures, I thought, “Wow… there sure is a lot of talk about shepherds in here…” All through the Old Testament with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and of course David – I mean, pretty much if you were named in the Old Testament you were probably a shepherd or prophet or a King. A shepherd, then, plays a major role in the scriptures and has given me a lot of food for thought. What does it mean to be a shepherd as a newly ordained priest?
Our first reading speaks about Woe to the shepherds…. There’s a lot of “woe-ing” in scriptures and it’s usually to people of authority who have abused it and misunderstood it and today’s reading is no different. The accusations are listed: the shepherd has scattered the sheep and the sheep have not been cared for – and these actions will not go unpunished. However, the Lord will raise up a righteous shoot to David, as king he shall reign and govern wisely – and you all can guess that is… Jesus Christ. Therefore we learn from the first reading that God desires that a shepherd be one that brings the sheep together, cares for them, and rules as a king with justice and wisdom.
The Responsorial Psalm is a classic and many know this psalm by heart. Growing up it was one of the first scripture verses that I learned by heart. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Every line in this psalm can be used to reflect upon the Lord being our shepherd and the many things that he does for us: he leads us to restful waters and verdant pastures, and even to be by our side in the dark valley. He blesses us with the table of the Eucharist and gives us His dwelling in eternity.
As it says in the second reading we who were once far off have become near by the blood of Christ. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for us, so that our cup overflows with the grace that He has poured out for us. He came to rescue us from condemnation and bring us back into His presence.
I don’t know if you have ever heard of the three munera of Jesus Christ. But the three munera or functions that Christ acts in is: priest, prophet, and king – a priest who sanctifies, a prophet who teaches, and a king who governs. But what about shepherd? Where does this concept of shepherd fit into the three munera? In the beginning, I thought that shepherd was just simply to replace “king” because well, the idea of “king” is outdated and well ever since we had our little Boston Tea Party, the idea of “king” just never quite sat well with Americans. But as I began to understand what it meant to be a shepherd, I realized that the identity of shepherd encompassed all three of the munera. A priest, prophet, and King are roles that specialize in their particular action – it is obvious what they do. However, a shepherd represents the pastoral love and charity that the other three do not express. You can picture a priest that celebrates the sacrifice of the Mass without any emotion, you can picture a prophet preaching fire and brimstone, and you can always picture a tyrannical ruler. But when all three are put into the context of a shepherd, you have something completely different.
The shepherd that preaches the Good News and he does this to bring all the sheep into the Lord’s fold. He gathers all his beloved sheep together and loves them, sings to them, and cares for them. [I hear that some shepherds play the harmonica.] The shepherd that sacrifices, not just any sheep, but sacrifices Himself - He becomes the lamb of God to sacrifice Himself for His sheep. He loves His sheep so much that He would lay down His life for His sheep. The shepherd that governs and disciplines his flock – to keep them from danger and going astray. He does not make rules just to suit himself, but because he desires their safety and their well being.
As you can see the shepherd is the key to these munera of priest, prophet, and king. The bishop as chief shepherd of a diocese has this role of preaching the Gospel, sanctifying the people and the world through the sacraments, and making sure that the temporal order is properly administered. Priests and deacons also in the person of Christ [in persona Christi] represent the Good Shepherd and imitate those munera in their life and ministry. These are such important roles in the life of a shepherd and I am finding to be very enriching for me spiritually.
I have mentioned bishops, priests, and deacons, but you all are not off the hook! As the Christian faithful who are baptized into Christ, they also take on these three functions: to sanctify, to preach and teach, to govern and discipline. Think about the many things that you do each day. You bless the day, you bless your food, your children and those around you by your Christian example. You teach and preach to others through the way you carry yourself, how you drive, how you act in department stores, and at work. And you also govern through keeping accountability with your peers, your coworkers, and your children. You think about the many things that you do each day and you will see that you also have the responsibility to act in these three munera no less than any other ordained clergy.
It is no easy task to be a shepherd and yet we are all called to do imitate Christ in our evangelical mission. Today’s gospel shows how incredible these demands can be. He told His apostles to take a break and rest. But the demand of the people that were in need of hope and in need to be spiritually fed were so great that they had to change their plans. Our lives are not any different. There are people out there that need us to bring them Christ. There are people out there that do not know the truth about the faith and we are called to be His shepherds. I hope that you can feel that call. You will know it is there. When you are tired and exhausted and feel like you cannot do anymore, you are able to get up and get out there and do what you needed to do. Because it is at those times that you will realize that you are no longer living for yourself, but you are living for someone else. And when you start to live for someone else out of true charity, you are well on your way to becoming a good shepherd for the Lord.
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