(Listen to this homily here).
There is a story of a Shakespearean actor who liked to host
dinner parties in his mansion.
After dinner concluded he provided the entertainment by taking
requests. Someone would ask to
hear something from Romeo and Juliet, Othello (and those are the only plays I
know from Shakespeare), and he would perform them. As the evening went on, he got more and more into it,
earning greater applause.
One
evening, an elderly priest stood up to make a request and he said, “Sir, would
you mind reciting the 23rd Psalm?” The actor agreed, provided that the priest would also recite
it. The priest agreed. The actor performed Psalm 23 with great
eloquence, perfect diction and emphasis.
He earned a standing ovation at the end. The priest thought to himself, “How am I going to beat
that?” but he bowed his head and from his heart prayed Psalm 23 as he had done
so often in his life. While he
didn’t have the same gusto, dramatic flair or enunciation, you could hear a pin
drop when the priest finished and there were tears in many eyes. The actor said to the crowd, “Do you
see what happened? I knew the
Psalm. Father knew the Shepherd.”
Do
you know the Shepherd?
Our
readings were all about shepherds this weekend. We start by hearing the prophet Jeremiah condemning bad
shepherds. Here, context will help
understand why. Jeremiah
prophesied in the darkest period of Israelite history. The kingdom had been split with the
northern tribes (Israel) having been decimated by the Assyrians. The southern kingdom (Judah) was about
to meet the same fate at the hands of the Babylonians. Throughout this history the people were
led by 42 different kings (starting with Saul, David and Solomon). Of these, only six were described as
good in the Bible! The rest were
described as evil, wicked and not knowing God. Through Jeremiah, God condemned these false shepherds, and
promised to send a good shepherd.
Then
we prayed Psalm 23—one of the most famous Psalms in the Bible and poems in the
world. Like the Lord’s Prayer,
this is a prayer that fits all seasons.
It is used in Baptisms and at funerals and can be sought in both joyous
and sorrowful times.
Might
I encourage you to memorize this Psalm?
Consider that some homework for this week. And I know you can!
When I was at my last assignment, I began the candy basket—offering
candy to our students if they could memorize a Bible verse (nothing like
bribing kids to memorize the Bible!).
The sixth graders were a bunch of punks—apparently they were too cool
for candy—and hardly any kids took up my offer. So one day I marched two third graders into the sixth grade
class—and they both recited Psalm 23.
If third graders can do it, so can you!
And
when Jesus, in the Gospel according to Mark, “…saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they
were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.”
The
good news for us—Jesus continues to shepherd his Church almost 2000 years after
his death. One of the ways he does
this is through the hierarchy (pope, bishops, priests) he established. Now many may cringe when they hear this
word—hierarchy—today. “That’s too rigid,” or “It’s all about
power” some think.
But
do you know what the word for shepherd
is in Latin? Pastor. Pastors—myself
included—are meant to be a shepherd of souls, to nourish, protect, guide and
assist the flock of Christ.
Jesus
continues to give us pastors to ensure the people of God are shepherded today:
Pope Francis for the universal Church, Bishop Paul Sirba for the Diocese of
Duluth and I have the humble honor to serve you.
Please
pray for your pastors—for your shepherds.
Can you imagine Pope Francis’ job?
He needs our prayers! Pray
for his health, safety and wisdom.
Or Bishop Sirba. I can tell
you first-hand that no priest wants to be a bishop (and a priest who wants to
be a bishop should never be a bishop!).
Bishop Sirba didn’t want this job, but he said yes when he was asked to
serve our Diocese. Please pray for
him. And you all know by now that
I need prayers. Please pray that,
as a young man, I may be given the strength, wisdom and joy to lead you well.
Finally,
always remember that we are all about Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. Popes, bishops, pastors and priests
come and go. Remember, we all
follow Christ! If you receive
anything good from a priest, bishop or pope, remember that is the Good Shepherd
working! If you receive less than
that, it is due to a man’s sin or imperfections. Please God, our earthly pastors will lead many to the Shepherd.
As we heard about shepherds today,
we are grateful that Christ continues to Shepherd his flock through the holy
Catholic Church today. Let’s
strive to follow Jesus the Good Shepherd faithfully today and during this week.
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