Shepherds to One Another

Homily: Fourth Sunday of Easter / Good Shepherd Sunday / World Day of Prayer for Vocations

John 10:11-18

21 April 2024

Fr. Ricky Cañet Montañez

When I was still studying in London, I was invited by a family from Cebu for dinner. The family has three sons and a much-awaited daughter who was born when the mother was 40 years old. The mother, a very devout Catholic has always wanted one of her boys to become a priest. Thus, she made sure that all the three of them became altar servers in our parish in Bethnal Green. The mother started asking each of the boys if they wanted to become priests. Both the eldest and middle child remained silent and simply smiled when their mum asked them if they wanted to become priests. It was her youngest boy’s reply that we found really funny. He said: “No mum, I want to be NORMAL!” (Bigla akong nagka-identity crisis. I thought, “What does that make of me? Or the likes of Fr. Steve Zabala?”☺️)

I shared with you this little story because today is not only Good Shepherd Sunday but also World Day of Prayer for Vocations.  For far too long we have had a narrow understanding of vocation as a calling to the priestly or religious life. However, in fact every single one of us has a vocation. Priests do not own the exclusive right to be called shepherds. We all have a role to play in this world as members of God’s family. We, as individuals, have been blessed with unique gifts that we share with one another, contributing to the collective good of the community. We all have a mission in life to accomplish — whether we be fathers, mothers, workers, students, employers, law enforcers, media practitioners, medical workers, leaders, etc…. In our distinct situations, we are called upon to be good shepherds to one another, ministering to those we find in our circles of family, friends and acquaintances.  It has been our privilege to experience the love of a Good Shepherd in Jesus.  It is but right, hence that we pay it forward and be good shepherds ourselves to one another by showing compassion to our respective flocks, loving them unconditionally, and seeking out those who stray.

In today’s gospel passage, Jesus speaks of Himself as the “Good Shepherd” who lays down His life for the sheep. This is a very much-loved and favoured image of Jesus. Unlike the hired-hand who merely treats the sheep simply as livestock to be managed — an element of his job, the shepherd, who owns the flock, considers every single one of the sheep as the object of his love and concern. Jesus used this comparison because people could easily relate with shepherding which is common in Israel. The Jews know that a good shepherd is very familiar with his flock and cares a great deal for them to the point of risking his own safety.  For the Shepherd, the sheep come first. He is totally committed to the well-being of who he tends that he would sacrifice his own life for them. 

In the gospels, particularly Chapter 10 of John’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as that kind of leader who takes good care of every single one of those entrusted to Him by the Father. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10:11) As Good Shepherd, Jesus exhibits exceptional commitment to His flock especially in search of the lost sheep and in the efforts to bring them back to the fold. In the Synoptic gospels, Jesus as the Good Shepherd is portrayed as one who would go as far as leaving 99 of His sheep to find one that went astray. This is how dedicated and responsible the Good Shepherd is towards His flock.

Is it a daunting challenge to be a shepherd? Yes! Speaking from personal experience, I have had to give up many things such as my privacy, my comfort zones, my chance at having family life if not having to grow roots. It is not easy to be always “on-call”. Sometimes at the most ungodly hours, I have to be present for those who need services for the depressed, the gravely sick, and the dead. I go where I am needed.  Perhaps this is the “not normal” part of my life.  I also have to contend with those who are not considerate enough of our priestly schedules and personal boundaries, etc. As parish priest, one is also required to manage the affairs of the parish. Not everything is taught and learned in school, so it can be a struggle sometimes. We are just very grateful for the lay leaders and parish staff who help us every day. I can attest that God sends help to support His shepherds. He has been so gracious to me and my ministry that I have no reason to be afraid even when things are difficult or uncertain. Needless to say, after 12 years (going 13 this year), I am still very much in the service of the Lord.

The same goes for each and every one of us. Let us not think of ourselves to be undeserving or incapable to be a shepherd to others. If you are a mom or dad, you are leading your family.  If you are a leader at work, in school, or a church organisation, or even of your barkada, consider the people around you as your flock — gifts of God that He has placed in your care. Yes, everything we do for their benefit, no matter how small, makes a difference in their lives. Let us not be discouraged if the impact seems small. It is still important because we do it for someone God deems valuable. St. John tells us who we are in the Second Reading: “Beloved, we are God’s children now. What we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2) Let us celebrate our giftedness and share our blessings! There is always something that we can offer, if we choose to be true to who we are and we choose to live out our vocation to the best of our abilities. Recently, a porter or pushcart retriever working at NAIA for 32 years, made sure that a bag containing $10,000 or half a million pesos that was left on a trolly by mistake, was returned to its rightful owner.  He can be considered a “good shepherd” because he looked out for a traveller passing through the airport where he worked. Whatever our vocation is — married, single, priest or nun, we shepherd God’s people in our children, our community, our parishioners, our colleagues.

Sometime in June, I shall be leaving San Roque Parish for my new assignment at the Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy. I am happy to report that I have convinced doubters that I am “normal”. I would like to think my efforts at good shepherding have not been in vain because three boys from our parish have been encouraged to consider the priesthood. One of them is actually considering joining the minor seminary next school year. We therefore offer our prayers today for these children and we ask God to grow the seed of priestly vocation in their hearts. Let us all be inspired to dare to take up the staff and be a good shepherd to the flock God entrusts to us — as we are all the beloved children of God our Father!

Art Work by Jorge Cocco