The Forth Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd, a day of prayer for vocations in the Church. The whole idea of sheep and shepherds is a tricky one today because we live in a society where being unique, being an individual, being spontaneous are among the highest values people aspire to. And none of these are qualities we associate with sheep! Today, we tend to admire the people who go their own way, plough their own furrow and stand out from the crowd. The idea of conforming or following someone else’s authority isn’t really something we admit to or boast about.
But here’s the rub. For all this desiring to be original, we are all very busy imitating others; we let others decide what we wear, how we look, what we think and what we say. We spend a lot of time copying others, just to look unique! There are people today whose sole occupation is being a social influencer: they lead, and millions follow. Jesus, it seems to me, knows the truth about this. Jesus knows that we are much more like sheep than we care to admit. Jesus knows that one way or another we are going to spend our lives following and so Jesus says; ‘follow me’.
The point about following Jesus is this: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. In following him we don’t become popular or trendy or influential. But our whole lives are directed to glory, to peace, and to Eternal Life..
Jesus asks us to follow Him; not to increase His popularity, not to boost his image, but simply because He wants to share with us His Life. ‘I came that you might have Life and have it to the full’ Jesus says. No one else in the world can give you this life; Strictly speaking, no one else in the world deserves your allegiance or your imitation. So, when Jesus asks you to follow Him, He offers you everything and takes nothing from you; and of course, we are reluctant to follow Him because we are afraid He will ask too much, take too much. Indeed, Jesus doesn’t want part of our lives, part of our time; He wants to share His whole life with us and if this is to happen there can be no part of our life which is off limits. That is the test of faith.
Good Shepherd Sunday reminds us that, for all our boasts of individuality we are in many ways sheep; we are already busy following different shepherds or social influencers or maybe just or peers or circle of friends. We pin our hopes on others, Jesus says, “pin all your hopes on me!”
Friar Liam Kelly OFM
Phone: 087 396 0262
irishfranciscansofm@gmail.com
Postal address: Franciscan Friary, The Abbey, Francis Street, Galway City
