In Search for the Good Shepherd

Sister and Brothers in Christ,

Today is the Good Shepherd Sunday, and we will hear the comparison of Jesus of himself as the Good Shepherd. We are reminded that we are all Shepherds to one another in the name of our Christian Responsibility and stewardship. We are all Shepherds but we are also sheep who long for a higher voice. For the many times we listened to our own voice and cling to our own pride and arrogance, let us ask the Lord for mercy and forgiveness.

There are times when I come to the tipping point of my patience and lose my respect to people especially when they cease to become voices of reason and maturity. Not that I find myself mature or reasonable, but it is disappointing that people given with authority over other people may not have the necessary psychological stability at all to hold such offices.

At many times, I have been disappointed by people who were supposed to be guides, who were supposed to be companions and models because in one way or the other they have ceased the person I have always thought them to be in the long run. Ganito pala sila. Hindi pala sila equipped. Hindi pala sila ehemplo.

Every year, we were given the chance to choose our Spiritual Directors but I remained seeking for someone else, someone who could guide, who could be a model, who could be a mentor. My standards of Spiritual Directors are high because I’ve known great Spiritual Directors in the past who journeyed with me in my vocation. My standard was: Tell me something I do not know. Tell me something I’ve never heard of. Tell me something beyond my capacity to decipher. Tell me something reasonable. Unfortunately nobody was able to give me that. Minsan tutuloggan ka nila. This is the reason why I ceased going for SDs and relied mainly on reading books instead. It may well be part of pride but I was looking for someone who could help me, assist me and guide me.

I was looking for my ideal spiritual mentors from one person to another, year after year only to find out there is no perfect Spiritual Director, there is nor perfect model, or mentor or example except Jesus Christ himself.

The Gospel today articulates for us our innate desire to be guided and have someone to look up to, someone who could guide us. Be it our parents, friends, teachers, superiors, confreres, Spiritual Directors, Parish Priests, Chaplains or even our spouses. These people will always falter and will reel to their weakness because they are human beings.

In our Gospel as well as in our readings, we heard about the voice of the Shepherd as the only voice recognized by the Sheepfold. In our first reading, Peter addressed the people with a loud voice and the listened.

God has put in us the desire to listen to a Shepherd because he too has given us the desire to be lead to right path and keep us away from troubles. To listen to a higher voice is innate and natural in us. We will always aspire for the voice of reason, the voice of concern, the voice of encouragement, the voice of security and the voice of love because God has instill that desire in us. We will always be longing for a shepherd, and a Guardian of our Souls as our Second Reading tells us.

With all these reflections on the Good Shepherd, one thing sank in to my contagiousness -that is, being a priest I am given the task to be a Shepherd.

Isn’t that amazing? I am a Shepherd.

But beings a Shepherd is not just about stoles, but it is also about Aprons. During our ordination, Bishop William mentioned in his homily that the world needs servant leaders who have the heart and mind of the Word Incarnate, the heart of the Good Shepherd and the quintessential missionary.

He recounted the story of DON TONINO BELLO (1935-1993), who died of cancer at a young age of 58. He was a bishop of Molffeta who modelled his life on the mystery of the Incarnation. His real name is ANTONIO BELLO but refused to be addressed as “Monsignor” or “Your Excellency”- preferring to be called “Don Tonino” or “Father Tonino.”

His biographer referred to him as a bishop who became the Gospel. He was a servant whose life as a shepherd was a form of genuine evangelization. His life of humility and simplicity, in imitation of the Word Incarnate, was a living commentary to the Gospel.

How can we, bishops and priests imitate Jesus the Incarnate Son of God so that our lives could become a life-giving Gospel to those we encounter?

According to Don Tonino Bello, we need to change our concept (paradigm) of Church as well as our lifestyle as community leaders.  We should seek to become a Church of the Apron so that our mission and ministry of proclaiming the Gospel becomes genuine, faithful and fruitful.

Don Tonino says, we should not remain a Church of the Stole – because the stole reminds us of the cabinet inside the sacristy. It is hidden, tidy and clean, often colorful and elegant and scented by incense.

The apron is what we use in the kitchen. We use it for cleaning or doing other odd jobs. Hence it is often dirtied and stained.  Frequently, it is used for ordinary and simple tasks.

The apron is a meaningful symbol for priests because for Don Tonino, this is the only priestly vestment mentioned in the Gospel.  When Jesus instituted the Eucharist on Holy Thursday evening, there is never any mention of chasuble, stole or cope being used by Jesus. What is mentioned is a garment, most probably an apron or towel, which he tied around his waist, before he washed the feet of his disciples and sat down with them for the Last Supper.

The stole and the apron are two symbols representing two important aspects of the ministry of priests and bishops.  They speak of service to God and service to fellowmen. These two are inseparable. “The stole without the apron would simply be symbolic. The apron without the stole would be fatally sterile.” The Church of the Apron is the Church of the Good Shepherd.

My Sisters and Brothers in Christ, we are all Shepherds. We have the duty to serve and inspire one another. But we are all Sheep who desire to be caressed and be guided by a higher voice. I am sure, many times we have become the robbers and thieves who lost our way at times. Let us then be guided so the Good Shepherd will lead us back.