THE SHEPHERD SHOULD SMELL LIKE THE SHEEP

     Pope Saint Pius X received four priests in the apostolic palace one day and greeted each of them individually.  The first introduced himself as a       university professor.  The second priest served on the faculty of a seminary.  The third practiced canon law in his chancery.  The fourth priest simply said, habeo curam animarum, which means, “I have the care of souls.”  In a very beautiful way this priest was telling Pope Pius X that he was a parish priest and then he asked for His Excellency's blessing.  Instead of giving him his blessing, it was Pope Pius X who knelt before the parish priest and asked him for his blessing.
     On this Good Shepherd Sunday, regardless of the cycle of the Liturgical year, we hear about the analogy of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd who in year A is like the shepherd who protects his sheep, for he is the sheep gate which guards his sheep from those who wish them harm.
     In year C of the Liturgical year, we hear that Jesus is the caring shepherd, who knows and calls each of his sheep by name and they know him.
     In year B, this Liturgical year, we hear that Jesus is the model of the shepherd who was willing and did die, and like the rain that falls on both the good and the bad, he died for all of mankind.
     On this fourth Sunday of Easter we pray for more vocations, more Good Shepherds to lead the church, to guide the flock through lives of service, spreading the good news, of spreading the truth, the moral truth so desperately needed in today’s world.
     It is hard to be Christian in a society that is more worried about feelings then it is about the moral truth.  It is when we do not stand up for the truth that we find the ethical bar of society being lowered, and it weakens our own moral compass.
     We are called not to judge, but we are also called to adhering to loving and not judging the person, but the Good Shepherd also demands we also tell them the truth.  We are all called, and truly are children of God through baptism, which allows us by faith to know   Jesus, not just know about Jesus.  Regardless of what cycle we are in we are all called to reflect on what kind of shepherd we are.
     We were all designed by God to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, through our own internal voice, our properly-formed conscience.  We all feel comfortable with the depiction of the Good Shepherd, who leads us beside the still waters, refreshes our souls and protects us in those times when the wolves of the world, relativism, materialism lead us away, embarking to find us and bring us back to the fold.  Jesus not only smells like the sheep, but he also willingly died for his sheep.
     A small portion of a Carole King song said it this way; “….and when my soul was in the lost and found, you came along to claim it.”