The Good Shepherd

When Jesus says he is the Good Shepherd, he is asserting his divinity in three ways: He is the I AM, he is good, and he is the Shepherd of Israel, to which all former shepherds (such as Moses and David) pointed. And his shepherding therefore includes his laying down of his life for his sheep, for that was the price of their redemption. Yet there are many pretenders, who do not  represent the Good Shepherd. They do not call people away from  their sins, but affirm them in wickedness. And thus they see the wolf and flee. And the wolf, that is, the devil, wreaks havoc. Does he not? Consider the effects of his wickedness on this culture, which so many preachers do nothing to oppose: the millions of slaughtered infants by abortion, the countless deceptions by which people are deceived into mutilating their bodies and their children because they thought they needed to change their gender, and thought they could. So much wickedness; but the Good Shepherd not only laid down his life; he also arose from the dead (for what good is a dead shepherd?). And now, having risen, he sends forth his preachers, through which he actively shepherds his flock and calls them into newness of life, following his great example of humility and love, born anew through Baptism and the Spirit. So heed his call right now today and follow him away from the deceptions of this world and into his marvelous light. Sermon for Misericordias Domini.
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