2nd Sunday after Easter 23 April 2023 Good Shepherd
Our Lord is Shepherd to us insofar as He protects us from
evil. We can picture a scene whereby the shepherd protects from the wolf. The
protection Our Lord offers is not physical so much as spiritual.
He protects us from the cunning of the evil one, so that we
can assess whatever situations arise and make the right decisions each time.
He delivers us from evil by helping us to recognise what the
evil is and where it comes from.
We like to be physically safe but there are more important
concerns.
The worst thing that can happen to us is that we commit sin.
He delivers us from sin in two ways: one, that of
forgiveness, whereby the sins lose their sting and we can make a fresh start.
Secondly, that He equips us with the grace needed to reject
sin, not only when tempted but overall, choosing instead to seek God and His
perfections rather than the false promises of the world.
See the flock which He gathers around Him as a kind of
school. A disciple is one who learns, so that is what we do. We learn from the
Master and in the process become a bit more like Him each encounter.
We grow in holiness, become better people. Our vices
disappear and our virtues increase.
If we are sheep we become like the Shepherd. We become like
Christ.
We become more resilient to misfortunes, as we find ways of
coping with difficulty and not allowing ourselves to be deflected from the main
event – which is that we follow Christ wherever He leads.
As sheep who learn a few tricks we can see the devil coming
and tell him to begone.
We have a share in Our Lord’s power over evil, enough at
least to resist temptations.
This is one reason we have sacraments, to be kept on the
boil as far as spiritual matters are concerned.
Being conformed to Christ means that we will ultimately be
able to lay down our lives, if required. This might sound too much, but it is
the logical result of learning from the Saviour. As our love for God and
Neighbour increases we will be more capable of making sacrifices for others.
This is what salvation means – that we come to full
spiritual maturity, not just obeying laws (though we do that) – but
understanding and appreciating the will of God, at least in its broad
direction, if not in every detail.
We are not saved passively but actively, cooperating with
the grace of God as He seeks to form us in His image.
We give to the Lord unconditional obedience, but not
unthinking obedience. We are aware of what He is asking us to give back to Him.
It follows that Our Lord would give us ways of coping in His
absence. He left us at the Ascension but He did not leave us to our own
devices.
We can draw from Him as to wisdom and to power. We are close
at all times to Him and He is never further away than a prayer.
We call on Him constantly, asking Him for all we need, but
most of all to be more like Him in His perfect humanity.
The Church defends itself against spiritual attack, but we
also go on the offensive.
We ‘attack’ the ingrained errors of the world, offering a
much better solution to all the troubles it encounters. Live like Christ and
all else falls into place.
We seek to turn the hearts of men towards God and away from
hatred and revenge etc.
Then to consolidate that with continuous learning from the
Good Shepherd, the Teacher of truth.
Drawing life from Him we are truly alive and eternally so.
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