What did the Lord Jesus mean when, in His teaching on fraternal correction, He said "And if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector"? (Mt 18:17b)
In Jesus' time, Gentiles were considered unclean and tax collectors were considered traitors and outcasts. Is this what He meant, to treat a fellow member of the church or the community who sins against us as unclean and an outcast?
We've seen instances in community where the first three steps of fraternal correction are taken, namely: going directly to the brother, taking along one or two witnesses, and telling it to the church. But if after all that, the offending brother still refuses to listen, there is a tendency to give up, "From now on, I consider this offending brother as a Gentile and a tax collector. I will ignore him, treat him as if they never existed, even if we cross paths on the way to community worship." The verse explaining the fourth step in the fraternal correction process is sometimes used as the justification to resist further reconciliation efforts with the offending brother.
Again, what could the Lord have meant by said verse? Is it possible that He meant the opposite, which is to love them, to forgive them, and not to give up on them?
Why do I say that?
Let's examine the Lord's example with regards to Gentiles and tax collectors. Did He turn His back on them? Did He not love them and reach out to them? Did He not forgive and save them? Did He not bring them to the fold?
Examine the context when this teaching was given. The people the Lord was teaching were His disciples, those who have heeded His call and followed Him. When He said, treat them as Gentiles and tax collectors, the Lord could not have meant, follow the custom of the day. The Lord would surely have meant, treat them as I have taught you by my example.
Note that several verses later in Mt 18:21-22, Jesus taught Peter to forgive not seven times, but seventy seven times.
One point that we should add is this: the Lord will never exclude anyone from His mercy- no matter how sinful they may be. We are the ones who exclude ourselves from God by our refusal to repent and to reconcile. So step 4 of the reconciliation process can be viewed as we (the unwilling to reconcile) treating our own selves as Gentiles and tax collectors in relation to God and to the community.
Recalling the parable of the prodigal son, the Father always waited expectantly for the return of His son. At the sight of the prodigal son, the Father ran to him, embraced him and kissed him- before the son acknowledged his sins to the Father! To the Father, the journey of the prodigal son back to Him was enough expression of repentance!
We should emulate the Father’s readiness to forgive, even in the face of stubbornness and repeated transgressions. While we do, let us remember not to put ourselves in His place, for He alone is without sin. Let the offending brother be like the prodigal son who returns in repentance; let the offended brother be like the older brother who listens to His Father's counsel to forgive and to celebrate with Him.
The work of reconciliation is the Lord’s work, and thus the invitation in reality comes from Him. One who participates in the process of reconciliation participates in the divine work of forgiving, healing and saving.
If we want to really understand the Lord's teaching, we must look into both His words and His deeds, into the entirety of His life.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Obedience to the call & stewardship of grace
“Can you hear me now?” - so asked the test man in the popular Verizon Wireless TV ad, as he roamed through the country to test the reliability of that company’s network.
In the 1st reading, that question could very have been in the Lord’s mind each time He called out Samuel’s name and the young man mistakenly thought it was Eli calling him. On the third time Samuel made this same mistake, Eli realized it was the Lord calling the youth, so he advised him to say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” And when indeed the Lord called Samuel again, the youth heeded Eli’s advice. The first reading ends with a description of the grace that came to Samuel from hearing the Lord: “Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.”
As this narrative illustrates, the Lord calls us, not once, but constantly, to a dialogue, to an ever-deepening communion of life and love with Him. Do we hear the Lord’s call to us, perhaps to pray, to serve, to reconcile, to minister to the needy? Hearing the Lord’s call is a process that begins with awareness that there is a call. But awareness must be followed by an understanding of who is speaking to us. Samuel needed Eli’s help to discern that it was the Lord who was calling. In our case, we have a much superior spiritual guide than Eli - the Holy Spirit Himself – who reveals God to us. With confirmation that the Lord indeed is speaking to us, the final step in the process is to take action to accept and to heed His call- to do His will.
In the gospel, John the Baptist’s two disciples must have been intrigued when their master pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. The day before, John had a fuller description of Jesus and His baptism, when the forerunner called Him, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” Jn 1:29. Surely, the two disciples must not have understood the paschal connotation of that name as applied to Jesus at that particular moment. In their curiosity, they followed Jesus, who in turn asked them, “what are you looking for?” Their answer was, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” The Lord responded with an invitation, “Come and you will see.” The disciples readily accepted the Lord’s invitation, staying with Him that day at His home. What did they see there? Whom did they find? Andrew supplies the answer when he announced to his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah!”
Although the call in the gospel narrative used the visual sense compared to the auditory sense in the 1st reading, the same response process applied. The first was awareness, with John pointing out Jesus to his disciples as the Lamb of God. The second was understanding, a grace that was given when the disciples spent the day with Jesus at His home. The third was action, expressed in the disciples’ acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, as demonstrated by Andrew’s testimony to his brother Simon.
What should we do to keep ourselves open to the Lord’s call? We will hear the Lord’s voice, feel His presence and see His glory when we keep our body from immorality, preserving it as a holy member of Christ, a holy temple of the Holy Spirit. Our certainty lies in the Lord’s promise: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” Mt 5:8. Our obedience to His will brings us into an intimate communion with His Person. “Whoever is joined to Christ becomes one Spirit with Him.” United with His fullness, we receive grace upon grace (Jn 1:16), which He commands us to freely share with others.
Jesus provides us with the perfect model for stewardship of God’s grace. The Hebrew word for lamb is “talia”, which could also mean servant. In obedience to His Father’s will, Jesus, the Shepherd of all, becomes the Passover Lamb. In obedience to His Father’s will, Jesus, the Son of God, becomes the Servant of all. Why? So that through His Cross, the world may freely receive God’s grace of love and mercy. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus, the Messiah!
In the 1st reading, that question could very have been in the Lord’s mind each time He called out Samuel’s name and the young man mistakenly thought it was Eli calling him. On the third time Samuel made this same mistake, Eli realized it was the Lord calling the youth, so he advised him to say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.” And when indeed the Lord called Samuel again, the youth heeded Eli’s advice. The first reading ends with a description of the grace that came to Samuel from hearing the Lord: “Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.”
As this narrative illustrates, the Lord calls us, not once, but constantly, to a dialogue, to an ever-deepening communion of life and love with Him. Do we hear the Lord’s call to us, perhaps to pray, to serve, to reconcile, to minister to the needy? Hearing the Lord’s call is a process that begins with awareness that there is a call. But awareness must be followed by an understanding of who is speaking to us. Samuel needed Eli’s help to discern that it was the Lord who was calling. In our case, we have a much superior spiritual guide than Eli - the Holy Spirit Himself – who reveals God to us. With confirmation that the Lord indeed is speaking to us, the final step in the process is to take action to accept and to heed His call- to do His will.
In the gospel, John the Baptist’s two disciples must have been intrigued when their master pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God. The day before, John had a fuller description of Jesus and His baptism, when the forerunner called Him, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” Jn 1:29. Surely, the two disciples must not have understood the paschal connotation of that name as applied to Jesus at that particular moment. In their curiosity, they followed Jesus, who in turn asked them, “what are you looking for?” Their answer was, “Rabbi, where are you staying?” The Lord responded with an invitation, “Come and you will see.” The disciples readily accepted the Lord’s invitation, staying with Him that day at His home. What did they see there? Whom did they find? Andrew supplies the answer when he announced to his brother Simon, “We have found the Messiah!”
Although the call in the gospel narrative used the visual sense compared to the auditory sense in the 1st reading, the same response process applied. The first was awareness, with John pointing out Jesus to his disciples as the Lamb of God. The second was understanding, a grace that was given when the disciples spent the day with Jesus at His home. The third was action, expressed in the disciples’ acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah, as demonstrated by Andrew’s testimony to his brother Simon.
What should we do to keep ourselves open to the Lord’s call? We will hear the Lord’s voice, feel His presence and see His glory when we keep our body from immorality, preserving it as a holy member of Christ, a holy temple of the Holy Spirit. Our certainty lies in the Lord’s promise: “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” Mt 5:8. Our obedience to His will brings us into an intimate communion with His Person. “Whoever is joined to Christ becomes one Spirit with Him.” United with His fullness, we receive grace upon grace (Jn 1:16), which He commands us to freely share with others.
Jesus provides us with the perfect model for stewardship of God’s grace. The Hebrew word for lamb is “talia”, which could also mean servant. In obedience to His Father’s will, Jesus, the Shepherd of all, becomes the Passover Lamb. In obedience to His Father’s will, Jesus, the Son of God, becomes the Servant of all. Why? So that through His Cross, the world may freely receive God’s grace of love and mercy. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus, the Messiah!
Come after Me
Matthew’s account of the call of the first disciples helps us understand the relationships of Peter, Andrew, James and John, and the new relationship that they entered with Jesus Christ. First, their relationship was fraternal - they were two sets of brothers. Second, their relationship was occupational. As was the case with most fathers and sons in the past, they were engaged in a common trade: in this case, as fishermen in the Sea of Galilee. Luke reveals to us the exact nature of their occupational relationship in his account of the call of the first disciples (Lk 5:7 & 9). We learn that these four men were “partners”. They were of the same mind and the same purpose to make a living through their fishing partnership. Luke used the Greek word “koinonia”, to describe this business partnership - the first time this word was used in scripture. Later on, Luke describes the life of the first Christian community after the Pentecost as “koinonia” (Acts 2:42). This time, “koinonia” conveyed a more profound sense- no longer referring to a business partnership, but rather to the “communion” of the first Christians after the Pentecost.
As a result of their common assent to Jesus’ call, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men,” these four men entered a new, mystical relationship among themselves and with Christ- the first stage of the “koinonia” referred to in Acts 2. This time, their fishing ground was not the Sea of Galilee but the ocean of mankind. They went out not in their tiny boats but in the ship of the Church (Ratzinger). They did not need nets but the gospel for their catch. And their catch was not fish but men, not for themselves but for Christ. The business was no longer theirs but the Father’s business. They were no longer to be guided by mere human wisdom, but God’s, for their work is God’s work. Pope Benedict XVI describes this new “koinonia” in this way: we have become “the communion of the Lord Himself, who grants what we could never have achieved by our own resources.” What was granted? We are one family, one body with Him. We are one with God. “Whoever is joined to Christ becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Cor 6:17).
Why then do we see dissension and conflict among Christians? Why do divisions arise? Is it because of our broken nature, which tends to weaken the exercise of our freedom, that at times, we give preference to self-centered rather than God-centered reasons? “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want” Rm 7:19.
The report of rivalries in Corinth prompted Paul to write his letter to the brethren. He urged the Corinthians to use their freedom not for division, but for unity. He called their attention to their rivalries, their factions. “I belong to Paul…I belong to Apollos…I belong to Cephas…I belong to Christ. Is Christ divided?” Here, Paul calls out the root cause for the dissension in Corinth: they have lost their focus on Jesus. They have placed their loyalties on men, not Jesus. He reminded them that Christ is their only leader and savior. Using himself as an example, Paul reiterated that he was sent by Christ, clearly showing his and every Christian’s right relationship to Christ. Christ is the sender, the Lord and the Master. We are the sent, the servants and the disciples. Then, Paul explained why he was chosen: “to preach the gospel…not with the wisdom of human eloquence.” What was Paul to rely on? “the cross of Christ, so that it might not be emptied of its meaning.” In other words, our life and ministry, our “koinonia”, must be about Jesus.
Two millennia later, Vatican II echoed Paul’s exhortation: “Genuine freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image in man. For God willed man ‘in the power of his own counsel’ (Sir 15:14) so that he would seek his Creator of his own accord and freely arrive at full and blessed perfection by cleaving to God.” (Gaudium et Spes). Let’s repeat that last part: we can arrive at full and blessed perfection by cleaving to God. To cleave is to adhere to or stick to firmly, closely, loyally, unwaveringly! Cleave to Jesus, remain one with Him!
What does cleaving to Jesus mean? When conflicts and chaos do arise, it should not be an occasion to hopeless despair, such that we should raise our hands in surrender, or to wage a belligerent struggle, or to fall to schism or to flee from community. Rather, it should be an opportunity for each of us to prayerfully reflect on the underlying reasons for our conflict and to repent for what we may have contributed to it. It should be an opportunity for us to seek Jesus Christ and what His law of love impels us to do- which is to dialogue, to communicate, to forgive and to reconcile with one another. It should be an opportunity for us to recognize the preciousness of our God-given “koinonia”, which pride and self-righteousness, apathy and un-forgiveness threaten. It should be an opportunity for us to live firmly in our Christian values, to follow in Jesus footsteps, to embrace His cross in order to unite ourselves with the Father’s will. It is when we die to our passions, to our desires, to our pride, to our prerogatives, to our personal loyalties- for the sake of the gospel- that the true community emerges. When it does, then the Lord’s glory has indeed shone on us.
The Lord’s call to “Come after me” is a radical summon to cleave to His person, “partaking of His life and His destiny, sharing in His free and loving obedience to the will of the Father” (John Paul II). Let us heed His call to be abidingly one with Him. When we are conformed in mind and heart to Jesus, then the Lord’s purpose for us is fulfilled: “fishers of men.”
As a result of their common assent to Jesus’ call, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men,” these four men entered a new, mystical relationship among themselves and with Christ- the first stage of the “koinonia” referred to in Acts 2. This time, their fishing ground was not the Sea of Galilee but the ocean of mankind. They went out not in their tiny boats but in the ship of the Church (Ratzinger). They did not need nets but the gospel for their catch. And their catch was not fish but men, not for themselves but for Christ. The business was no longer theirs but the Father’s business. They were no longer to be guided by mere human wisdom, but God’s, for their work is God’s work. Pope Benedict XVI describes this new “koinonia” in this way: we have become “the communion of the Lord Himself, who grants what we could never have achieved by our own resources.” What was granted? We are one family, one body with Him. We are one with God. “Whoever is joined to Christ becomes one spirit with Him” (1 Cor 6:17).
Why then do we see dissension and conflict among Christians? Why do divisions arise? Is it because of our broken nature, which tends to weaken the exercise of our freedom, that at times, we give preference to self-centered rather than God-centered reasons? “For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want” Rm 7:19.
The report of rivalries in Corinth prompted Paul to write his letter to the brethren. He urged the Corinthians to use their freedom not for division, but for unity. He called their attention to their rivalries, their factions. “I belong to Paul…I belong to Apollos…I belong to Cephas…I belong to Christ. Is Christ divided?” Here, Paul calls out the root cause for the dissension in Corinth: they have lost their focus on Jesus. They have placed their loyalties on men, not Jesus. He reminded them that Christ is their only leader and savior. Using himself as an example, Paul reiterated that he was sent by Christ, clearly showing his and every Christian’s right relationship to Christ. Christ is the sender, the Lord and the Master. We are the sent, the servants and the disciples. Then, Paul explained why he was chosen: “to preach the gospel…not with the wisdom of human eloquence.” What was Paul to rely on? “the cross of Christ, so that it might not be emptied of its meaning.” In other words, our life and ministry, our “koinonia”, must be about Jesus.
Two millennia later, Vatican II echoed Paul’s exhortation: “Genuine freedom is an outstanding manifestation of the divine image in man. For God willed man ‘in the power of his own counsel’ (Sir 15:14) so that he would seek his Creator of his own accord and freely arrive at full and blessed perfection by cleaving to God.” (Gaudium et Spes). Let’s repeat that last part: we can arrive at full and blessed perfection by cleaving to God. To cleave is to adhere to or stick to firmly, closely, loyally, unwaveringly! Cleave to Jesus, remain one with Him!
What does cleaving to Jesus mean? When conflicts and chaos do arise, it should not be an occasion to hopeless despair, such that we should raise our hands in surrender, or to wage a belligerent struggle, or to fall to schism or to flee from community. Rather, it should be an opportunity for each of us to prayerfully reflect on the underlying reasons for our conflict and to repent for what we may have contributed to it. It should be an opportunity for us to seek Jesus Christ and what His law of love impels us to do- which is to dialogue, to communicate, to forgive and to reconcile with one another. It should be an opportunity for us to recognize the preciousness of our God-given “koinonia”, which pride and self-righteousness, apathy and un-forgiveness threaten. It should be an opportunity for us to live firmly in our Christian values, to follow in Jesus footsteps, to embrace His cross in order to unite ourselves with the Father’s will. It is when we die to our passions, to our desires, to our pride, to our prerogatives, to our personal loyalties- for the sake of the gospel- that the true community emerges. When it does, then the Lord’s glory has indeed shone on us.
The Lord’s call to “Come after me” is a radical summon to cleave to His person, “partaking of His life and His destiny, sharing in His free and loving obedience to the will of the Father” (John Paul II). Let us heed His call to be abidingly one with Him. When we are conformed in mind and heart to Jesus, then the Lord’s purpose for us is fulfilled: “fishers of men.”
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time - 2010
A Cistercian monk once observed that there are three stages in our Christian journey: sin, conversion and the pursuit of perfection. He noted that these three stages are inextricably bound up together. We can not be one or the other. We are continually in all three stages at once. And God’s grace abounds all three stages. While we are constantly sinners, we are constantly in a state of continuing conversion. Therefore, we are continually being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
This Sunday’s readings give us biblical examples of such men in various stages of their journey. We see Isaiah acknowledging his sinfulness before our thrice holy God and mercifully receiving divine forgiveness, when the purifying ember of the Almighty’s altar touched his lips, removing his wickedness and purging his sins. With this decisive conversion, the Lord called Isaiah to be His prophet: “Who shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah’s response: “Here I am, send me.” His obedience to the Lord’s call brought him to continue on with his spiritual journey.
We also see Simon, after witnessing the Lord’s powerful miracle, falling at the feet of Jesus and acknowledging his sinfulness. With Peter’s decisive conversion, the Lord called him to be a fisher of men. And with his obedience to the Lord’s call, Peter began the next stages of his journey, never quite leaving behind his sins, and for good reason: he needed God’s grace to continue his journey of continual conversion and sanctification.
We see Paul, many years after his conversion on the road to Damascus, still acknowledging his sinfulness and unworthiness: “Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Though richly gifted with wisdom from his his extensive missionary labors, Paul still acknowledged his utter dependence on the grace of God: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Because of Paul’s complete trust and reliance on the grace of God, he was blessed to become the apostle who spread the good news of salvation to the Gentile world. “Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
This Sunday’s readings give us biblical examples of such men in various stages of their journey. We see Isaiah acknowledging his sinfulness before our thrice holy God and mercifully receiving divine forgiveness, when the purifying ember of the Almighty’s altar touched his lips, removing his wickedness and purging his sins. With this decisive conversion, the Lord called Isaiah to be His prophet: “Who shall I send? Who will go for us?” Isaiah’s response: “Here I am, send me.” His obedience to the Lord’s call brought him to continue on with his spiritual journey.
We also see Simon, after witnessing the Lord’s powerful miracle, falling at the feet of Jesus and acknowledging his sinfulness. With Peter’s decisive conversion, the Lord called him to be a fisher of men. And with his obedience to the Lord’s call, Peter began the next stages of his journey, never quite leaving behind his sins, and for good reason: he needed God’s grace to continue his journey of continual conversion and sanctification.
We see Paul, many years after his conversion on the road to Damascus, still acknowledging his sinfulness and unworthiness: “Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.” Though richly gifted with wisdom from his his extensive missionary labors, Paul still acknowledged his utter dependence on the grace of God: "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Because of Paul’s complete trust and reliance on the grace of God, he was blessed to become the apostle who spread the good news of salvation to the Gentile world. “Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.”
Shepherds' Faith in Jesus
Only with faith in Jesus can we compassionately shepherd His flock. We can not begin to understand this statement without first understanding the promise from the Word: “I will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they need no longer fear and tremble, and none shall be missing.” Why the Lord appoint weak, broken, sinful men to be shepherds of His flock?
The biblical shepherds appointed by the Lord would not have met today’s commonly-accepted leadership qualification criteria. Two of the Old Testament’s great shepherds would have been disqualified: Moses for murder; David for adultery and murder. The apostles, personally selected by Jesus after a night of prayer, would have failed the grade as well: Peter for his impulsiveness and not walking his talk; James & John for their ambitiousness & manipulation; Thomas for his lack of faith; Matthew for his collaboration with the enemy; Simon the Zealot for his rebelliousness against establishment. We know that each thought he was the greatest. We know that all twelve were deserters. (These men were the nucleus of the first Christian community. Would you have joined it?) Even the great Apostle Paul would have been rejected for his role in the persecution of the early Church and in Stephen’s murder.
The Lord knew these men’s serious character flaws, yet He nonetheless appointed them to shepherd His flock. In fact, we can truthfully state that they were appointed because of their unworthiness. Remember, the appointment is not for a trivial matter: it is to share with them a responsibility that belongs to God our Father: the caring, the feeding, the nurturing, the well-being of His children. Why would God do that? Whatever His reason, we know that God placed His trust in unworthy man. We need not look beyond ourselves to appreciate the divine trust given to these frail men. No one among us who has been entrusted with the pastoral care and formation of others- be it our children or members of this community- can truthfully say that he deserved God’s appointment, that he is worthy of the Lord’s trust, that he has by himself what it takes to fulfill his entrusted work fruitfully. (Is there anyone here who can say he or she merits God’s trust? Who says he or she is unworthy of God’s trust?) God has faith in us!
Such is God’s faith in us that He promised His flock that His appointed shepherds will shepherd them “…so that they need no longer fear and tremble, and none shall be missing.” Why did God make this promise that is dependent on our response? Because God trusts that we will be faithful to Him! Let us say that to one another: God trusts that we will be faithful to Him! Now why does God trust that we will be faithful to Him? Because Jesus is in us, and He is faithful! Let us say that to one another: Jesus is in us, and He is faithful! And with Jesus in us, the weak men that we are have access through the Spirit to the Father. Thus, we become channels of the love and compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock. God Himself will shepherd His flock through us – if we have faith in Jesus, if our pride, our human strength, our human wisdom do not get into the way of Jesus.
Our confidence that we can undertake the Lord’s work lies in our acknowledgment of our weakness and our dependence on God’s strength. The Apostle Paul says it all: “I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell with me” 2 Cor 12:9b. “I have the strength for everything through Jesus who empowers me” Phil 4:13. “For through Jesus, we have both access in one Spirit to the Father” Eph 2:18.
The Christian “when I am weak, then I am strong” spirituality is foolishness in our resume-oriented world. Truth is, it is “foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” 1 Cor 1:18. God who didn’t need us but trusted us certainly deserves our faith. When we acknowledge our utter lack and bestow our total reliance on God, we enter the supernatural realm of faith.
Faith ushers us to God’s presence, His life and reality, enabling us to see as He sees, think as He thinks, act as He acts, love as He loves. A person of faith seeks to do God’s will and not his, and relies on the Lord’s strength, not his. He is repentant and thankful, realizing that his whole life has been “a course of mercies and blessings shown to one who has been most unworthy of them.”
A true shepherd therefore has the Good Shepherd’s love for the flock. Moved with the compassion of Jesus, he gathers and reconciles, tends and feeds, so that the flock may increase and multiply. It is a love that impoverishes the giver, for he is to love just as Jesus loved us- to death!. Yet it is a love that enriches the giver as well, because “the one who sows for the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit” Gal 6:7.
In this light, we are to understand God’s assertion, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep… I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest…” Ez 34:11, 15. God’s appointed shepherds receive their outpouring of love from the Righteous Shoot of David- Jesus Christ, through whom, in whom, and by whom God’s flocks are lovingly saved and secured. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.” 1 Thes 5:24.
Jesus’ invitation “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile” is directed not only to shepherds but to all the flock. It is an exhortation to balance time given generously in service to others with solitude, to balance intense activity with rest. As God’s Word in Heb 4:10-11 says, “Whoever enters into God’s rest, rests from his own works as God did from His. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place” is an invitation to commune with Jesus in prayer and meditation, so that He may minister to us with His love and peace and refresh our souls. Think of the deserted place- whether at home in your prayer room, in Church before the Blessed Sacrament, or any place where only Jesus and you are present- think of it as a filling station, where emptied of our concerns, anxieties, frustrations and problems, we are infused with the full measure of the Holy Spirit, so that we can declare like David, “you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.”
Lord, we are utterly unworthy of Your invitation to “Come away” with You. Your invitation is an unmerited grace, for no creature by himself can approach his Creator. It is for our benefit, not Yours, for when we are with You, our hearts and minds are stilled. Our time meets Eternity, our weakness is lost to Your perfection, our burdens are relieved in Your rest, and our yearning is quenched by Your Spirit. To be with You is glorious joy beyond imagination, an exhilarating homecoming, for my spirit is at home with Your heart O God. Let me come away and spend time with You, O Jesus! Come away.
The biblical shepherds appointed by the Lord would not have met today’s commonly-accepted leadership qualification criteria. Two of the Old Testament’s great shepherds would have been disqualified: Moses for murder; David for adultery and murder. The apostles, personally selected by Jesus after a night of prayer, would have failed the grade as well: Peter for his impulsiveness and not walking his talk; James & John for their ambitiousness & manipulation; Thomas for his lack of faith; Matthew for his collaboration with the enemy; Simon the Zealot for his rebelliousness against establishment. We know that each thought he was the greatest. We know that all twelve were deserters. (These men were the nucleus of the first Christian community. Would you have joined it?) Even the great Apostle Paul would have been rejected for his role in the persecution of the early Church and in Stephen’s murder.
The Lord knew these men’s serious character flaws, yet He nonetheless appointed them to shepherd His flock. In fact, we can truthfully state that they were appointed because of their unworthiness. Remember, the appointment is not for a trivial matter: it is to share with them a responsibility that belongs to God our Father: the caring, the feeding, the nurturing, the well-being of His children. Why would God do that? Whatever His reason, we know that God placed His trust in unworthy man. We need not look beyond ourselves to appreciate the divine trust given to these frail men. No one among us who has been entrusted with the pastoral care and formation of others- be it our children or members of this community- can truthfully say that he deserved God’s appointment, that he is worthy of the Lord’s trust, that he has by himself what it takes to fulfill his entrusted work fruitfully. (Is there anyone here who can say he or she merits God’s trust? Who says he or she is unworthy of God’s trust?) God has faith in us!
Such is God’s faith in us that He promised His flock that His appointed shepherds will shepherd them “…so that they need no longer fear and tremble, and none shall be missing.” Why did God make this promise that is dependent on our response? Because God trusts that we will be faithful to Him! Let us say that to one another: God trusts that we will be faithful to Him! Now why does God trust that we will be faithful to Him? Because Jesus is in us, and He is faithful! Let us say that to one another: Jesus is in us, and He is faithful! And with Jesus in us, the weak men that we are have access through the Spirit to the Father. Thus, we become channels of the love and compassion of the Good Shepherd for His flock. God Himself will shepherd His flock through us – if we have faith in Jesus, if our pride, our human strength, our human wisdom do not get into the way of Jesus.
Our confidence that we can undertake the Lord’s work lies in our acknowledgment of our weakness and our dependence on God’s strength. The Apostle Paul says it all: “I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell with me” 2 Cor 12:9b. “I have the strength for everything through Jesus who empowers me” Phil 4:13. “For through Jesus, we have both access in one Spirit to the Father” Eph 2:18.
The Christian “when I am weak, then I am strong” spirituality is foolishness in our resume-oriented world. Truth is, it is “foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God” 1 Cor 1:18. God who didn’t need us but trusted us certainly deserves our faith. When we acknowledge our utter lack and bestow our total reliance on God, we enter the supernatural realm of faith.
Faith ushers us to God’s presence, His life and reality, enabling us to see as He sees, think as He thinks, act as He acts, love as He loves. A person of faith seeks to do God’s will and not his, and relies on the Lord’s strength, not his. He is repentant and thankful, realizing that his whole life has been “a course of mercies and blessings shown to one who has been most unworthy of them.”
A true shepherd therefore has the Good Shepherd’s love for the flock. Moved with the compassion of Jesus, he gathers and reconciles, tends and feeds, so that the flock may increase and multiply. It is a love that impoverishes the giver, for he is to love just as Jesus loved us- to death!. Yet it is a love that enriches the giver as well, because “the one who sows for the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit” Gal 6:7.
In this light, we are to understand God’s assertion, “I myself will look after and tend my sheep… I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest…” Ez 34:11, 15. God’s appointed shepherds receive their outpouring of love from the Righteous Shoot of David- Jesus Christ, through whom, in whom, and by whom God’s flocks are lovingly saved and secured. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.” 1 Thes 5:24.
Jesus’ invitation “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest awhile” is directed not only to shepherds but to all the flock. It is an exhortation to balance time given generously in service to others with solitude, to balance intense activity with rest. As God’s Word in Heb 4:10-11 says, “Whoever enters into God’s rest, rests from his own works as God did from His. “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place” is an invitation to commune with Jesus in prayer and meditation, so that He may minister to us with His love and peace and refresh our souls. Think of the deserted place- whether at home in your prayer room, in Church before the Blessed Sacrament, or any place where only Jesus and you are present- think of it as a filling station, where emptied of our concerns, anxieties, frustrations and problems, we are infused with the full measure of the Holy Spirit, so that we can declare like David, “you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.”
Lord, we are utterly unworthy of Your invitation to “Come away” with You. Your invitation is an unmerited grace, for no creature by himself can approach his Creator. It is for our benefit, not Yours, for when we are with You, our hearts and minds are stilled. Our time meets Eternity, our weakness is lost to Your perfection, our burdens are relieved in Your rest, and our yearning is quenched by Your Spirit. To be with You is glorious joy beyond imagination, an exhilarating homecoming, for my spirit is at home with Your heart O God. Let me come away and spend time with You, O Jesus! Come away.
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