St Charles Church .org
This is a summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily delivered at St. Charles on May 2, 2004
"We are his people, the sheep of his flock." Psalm 100
I WAS ASSIGNED to a parish in Mt Vernon called after the Good Shepherd in 1979. I went there as the fifth pastor in a five-year period. It was a place of controversy and conflict in the aftermath of Vatican II. Among other aspects of church life, there was much dispute on the proper role of the laity as it related to the clergy. At one point a pastor had been assigned to restore orthodoxy. On his first Sunday, it is alleged, he outlined a series of abuses he would correct. He finished declaratively, "Remember I am the shepherd and you are the sheep." Even some of the marine colonels from Ft. Belvoir who wanted a more traditional approach did not appreciate being identified as "sheep." The flock scattered to the four winds!
Sheep have had a bad press. Catholics do not like to be seen as dumb and mindless. Not anymore.
It is unlikely that this is what Jesus had in mind when he used the image of the good shepherd.
When I was a little boy I spent time at my uncle Willie's farm. He had a mixed farm that included a flock of sheep. When he was cutting turf in the bog, he could keep the sheep a few miles away on the mountain under surveillance. Sometimes the sheep would drift west toward a dangerous area where there were cliffs and ravines. He would signal to his sheepdog in the direction of the hill. The dog would understand instinctively what was demanded, and take off up-hill. Arrived at his destination, he found a rock where he would look down to the valley below for guidance. My uncle would make a sweeping gesture with a stick. Immediately the dog circled the sheep herding them eastward. Checking for more direction, he would continue to guide. When he had done the task, my uncle would whistle and he reappeared at the bog wagging his tail in search of appreciation.
More recently in the Dominican Republic, where the farmers shepherd the sheep themselves without the sheepdog, I noticed the truth of the Gospel. The owner would call his sheep from the pasture where the community had grazing, "Ton, ton ton." Although everybody used the same call, only the sheep that the farmer owned separated themselves from the flock, recognizing his tone of voice. The others continued to graze.
Jesus called attention to the trust that exists between human and animal. "My sheep hear my voice and they follow me." Teachers know that the students with whom they have established a trusting relationship learn more quickly. Parents act like shepherds when they reach out in protective love. Clergy act as pastors when they unify the flock with respect for their intelligence and maturity.
Feeding is part of shepherding. May the children who come to the Lord's table for the first time this Easter season be strengthened in faith, in trust and in love as they are led by the Good Shepherd to pastures new. May they always find role models who will remind them of the Good Shepherd.