I offer this story, not knowing its provenance, as told to me by my Uncle Bishop Joe after he ordained me to the priesthood 25 years ago. A famous preacher once hosted a popular call-in radio program around various topics, and the topic of that day was The Good Shepherd. Callers were invited to discuss their perceptions as to what that image meant to them. It was a rich discussion, according to biblical passages of The Good Shepherd as the gate and gatekeeper, protector of the flock against the wolves, and seeker of lost sheep. The conversation expanded into the need for modern administrative and political acumen in a more difficult world than biblical times, for The Good Shepherd to guard and grow the flock.
After a while, a lone voice, aged and so broken as to be barely audible, came on. Without regards to the opinions so far expressed, an elderly woman began to talk of her journey, her family, the joys and disappointments of her life. It seemed that she had missed the point of the topic. However, there was something compelling about how she told her story, and the host knew not to interrupt. What unfolded was an image of a person who had struggled to raise a family, through children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, through travails, brokenness and sorrows, and who had never given up on anyone. Now, alone, she wanted to share that, and to simply indicate that all along the way, Jesus was there.
"What unfolded was an image of a person who had struggled to raise a family, through children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, through travails, brokenness and sorrows, and who had never given up on anyone."
As her story continued, the host noticed the call-in lights on the phone call-in deck gradually turn off, one by one. He himself was so moved that as she finished, he paused for a long moment of silence. There were no more calls to answer. Then he resumed, humbled and obviously touched, saying, “we have had a beautiful discussion, with many rich images suggested of what The Good Shepherd might look like and what that might mean. We can study and reflect a lot about The Good Shepherd, and that is good. But now, in that last call, something else happened. We heard His voice. This lady who just spoke knows Him. She is The Good Shepherd in His image. And that makes all the difference.”
There are so many searching people in the world today, people hungering for instruction, good people who are looking for direction. There are parents sick with grief over the future of a troubled child, people stripped of dignity due to unemployment, women facing pregnancy alone. People who are angry and confused because they believe society is no longer dependable. They are looking for answers and for meaning. They are like sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus looks to us to shepherd them. As we need shepherding ourselves.
"They are looking for answers and for meaning. They are like sheep without a shepherd, and Jesus looks to us to shepherd them. As we need shepherding ourselves."
In the midst of this confusion, and wanting to reach out more, there are some clues that should help us discern which voices to heed. Reliable shepherds walk with us in the dark valleys. They do not scatter the sheep and drive them away. Instead, they work to speak the word that gathers us together. They reconcile us with God and with each other. And, like the lady in the story above, who reminds us of someone we have known, they never give up. These are the times when The Good Shepherd is most needed. Think about it, pray, and turn to Him. You know His voice.
+Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg
Bishop of Pueblo
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