“There is no salvation through anyone else” – this proclamation made by Peter is the most important statement in the history of humanity. Our Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, and rose from the dead, in order to be our mediator before God, and to give us a path through Him to salvation. This is the news that must be shared with all of humanity, and that we must keep constantly at the forefront of our consciousness. We are charged, each of us, to share this with our brother and sisters who do not yet know Him.
This is especially true of our unique faith in Christ as Catholics, we are part of the one universal Church that our Lord took as His bride. We are to serve and draw all mankind toward her in order that they may come to a fuller knowledge of Jesus Christ, and to receive the graces that He has granted us, and we uniquely receive in the form of the Sacraments, not the symbols that some have strayed toward through a lack of true understanding. These are the fruits that we have been entrusted with and are expected to share with all. We are called to share the fullness and richness of a faith that is unbroken in its lineage and contains the full tradition and wisdom of those who were present during the time Jesus spent here on earth or were students and followers of those who were there. This unbroken faith and tradition are the gifts that are unique to our faith, and that hold the truest form of what our Lords Church here on earth was constructed to be. Our Lord founded His Church upon a single rock that still stands as the foundation and reservoir of the truth of His teachings.
In our Gospel today, our Lord describes himself as the Good Shepherd, and he truly is. No one is good but God alone, and He has indeed proven Himself a true shepherd. You see a shepherd actually cares about his flock, he guides them to food, nurtures them as they grow, protects them at all costs, even that of his life if necessary. His focus is always on the good of his flock, and he places himself second to their needs. Our Lord gave all for each one of us in His flock, He emptied himself completely for our sake. We are called to follow His path and to shepherd His people as well. We are called to do this for the sake of our love for Him, and for all those created in His image. We are not called to be hirelings, but humble shepherds. Hirelings do not truly care for the flock, and we will know them by their actions. We see this sometimes in the news about “preachers” who care more about their book sales or seminar attendance numbers, and who are content to keep their “churches” pristine rather than open them to those truly in need of shelter, or who see no issue with their driving Ferraris while others struggle to exist – these are the “preachers of prosperity” that are the modern-day Pharisees. We see it equally in all those who proclaim themselves Christs followers, but whose focus is solely on self, and who look down upon those who are of lesser means or status whom they see as being untouchable. These people cause others to stumble by eroding the image of what a true follower of Christ is, and cause more and more to turn away from the faith because of their example. They do not place the flock first, and work in humility for the good of all, actually cleansing themselves by taking on the dirt that others must be cleansed of. We must beware of anything that distracts us similarly toward the more worldly pursuits that this temporal existence constantly beckons us toward, and instead allow ourselves to be guided by the Spirit into what Jesus has envisioned for each one of us in His plan. We must be content to be with the weakest and most in need of His flock, those who are the least attractive by worldly ideals, but who are the most precious in our Lord’s eyes. We must be the ones who go in search of these sometimes-lost sheep and place them upon our own shoulders and humbly bear the burden of work that will draw them toward our Lord. Our reward is in Him, and in seeing those created by Him being a closer part of His family, our family through Him. Each person brought toward him is a brother or sister we never knew but can then rejoice at being reunited with in our universal family. This is our calling.
PodCast Link
The Deacons Bench 