His Excellency,
The Most Reverend Edward K. Braxton, Ph.D., S.T.D.
Diocese of Belleville
March 17, 2024, 9:00 AM Mass
St. Luke Parish, Belleville
"Are We Good Shepherds?"
(This is the text as originally written. During the actual delivery, some passages were omitted and other comments were added spontaneously. Nota bene: This text has not been thoroughly proofread. Therefore, there may be errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation.)
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:
Daniel Clement Dennett III, 82, died on Friday in Portland, Maine. While his name is not a household word, he was a world-famous American philosopher and a leading proponent of atheism. From his rigorous study of the brain and human consciousness, he concluded that the soul does not exist and there is no such thing as free will. He was absolutely convinced that God does not exist, and that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a fantasy. He famously said, “There is simply no polite way to tell people who sincerely believe in God and the resurrection that they have dedicated their lives to an illusion.” Some of Professor Dennett’s critics, and there are many, said perhaps in death his eyes have been opened and he now sees what was hidden.
On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, we are challenged to open our eyes and see what has been hidden as we continue to contemplate the mystery of the resurrection.
In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke tells us that after healing a person who was lame, Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached: “All of you should know that it was in the name of Jesus Christ, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead; in his name this man stands before you healed. Christ is the stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved." These soul-piercing words have challenged Christians through the centuries. Are they to be taken literally? Is salvation denied to devout Jewish people, committed Muslims, remote villagers who have never heard of Jesus, and staunch unbelievers like Professor Dennett? Some Christians definitely believe those who do not follow Christ cannot be saved. However, the Catholic Church has taught since the second Vatican Council that, by divine providence, God’s saving grace can reach those who are not Christians and those who lack explicit belief in God.
This episode of Peter proclaiming the unique role of Christ in salvation history takes place sometime after the resurrection. In contrast, today’s gospel story of Jesus telling His disciples that He is the Good Shepherd is in chapter 10 of John, long before the Crucifixion and resurrection. The Church is asking us with Easter faith to look back on this pre-crucifixion story and meditate on its meaning in the light of the resurrection. If we are living our Easter faith, we should not only be proclaiming Christ as the Good Shepherd, but also, we should be striving to be good shepherds in our daily lives.
Psalm 23 tells us that a good shepherd leads, guides, protects, companions, nourishes, and sets a table of welcome and hospitality in the difficult places in life. We have all had good shepherds in our lives guiding us, nourishing our spirits, and walking with us through life’s dark valleys. She or he has revived our spirits when we needed it most. And surely each of you has been a good shepherd to others. Are not patient, loving parents good shepherds? Are not thoughtful, caring husbands and wives good shepherds? When you care for sick or dying family members or friends, are you not being good shepherds? When you ask someone, “how are you?” and instead of saying, “fine,” they actually tell you how they are, pouring out their sorrows and joys, and you take the time to listen with loving concern, are you not being good shepherds? And when you are the one needing to share how you are and someone truly listens, are they not becoming your good shepherd? The risen Christ teaches us how to be genuinely good shepherds to each other, when we prayerfully reread today’s gospel through the lens of Easter faith.
Circumstances have led some of you to be good shepherds often and to many people. Others, only rarely. Some of you have desperately needed a good shepherd in your lives, and she or he could not be found. There was only Christ, who teaches us how to lead others to the green pastures and calm waters.
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If you and I are to be good shepherds living our Easter faith, we must remember what Jesus tells us about the hired hand. The hired hand does not really care about the sheep. For the hired hand, the sheep are just a means to an end. She or he punches the clock and shows up to receive a paycheck and disappears when the shift is over. And if shepherding gets too dangerous, if a wolf appears, the hired hand runs away. We have all experienced a hired hand in our lives: someone who, when you most needed him or her, abandoned you. A hired hand may look like a good shepherd, but when you need the person most, when you are shepherding someone with cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, a crisis in their marriage, or substance abuse, it becomes too much for the hired hand who walks away. This is very painful because we thought they were fellow shepherds. Sadly, even deacons, priests, and bishops ordained to be good shepherds can act like hired hands!
The resurrection of Jesus calls you to meditate on the times you have experienced the hired hand in your life, or worse: when YOU have acted like a hired hand when you were supposed to be a good shepherd. Christ also warns us to be on the lookout for the wolves who may be lurking in our lives. Are we aware of the clever ways by which wolves can snatch and scatter the dear ones we are shepherding with love?
Philosopher Daniel Dennett, sure of his atheism, asserted, “There is simply no polite way to tell people who sincerely believe in God and the resurrection of Christ that they have dedicated their lives to an illusion.” During the days between Easter Sunday, March 31st and Pentecost Sunday, May 19th, we should each be praying that the Holy Spirit will strengthen our Easter faith and bring us closer to Christ, our Good Shepherd who leads us to green pastures and calm waters that are not illusions. As we just heard from the first letter of John, “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!”
If we live each day with open hearts as good shepherds, we can hope to share in the life of the risen Christ and see Him as He is!
Praised be Jesus Christ. Both now and forever. Amen.