Acts 4:8-12 / 1 John 3:1-2 / John 10:11-18
One of the interesting features of the Catholic Church is the presence of religious objects.
These religious objects can take the form of stained glass, as in these three looming stained glass images at the sanctuary.
Or, there can be statues or holy pictures and images, all of which are present within the church as well as around the church.
These religious objects (the proper name is “sacramentals”), are certainly helpful for our devotion and religious piety.
They serve as reminders of God's love and blessings, and they also serve as visual prayer aids.
So, there is the Crucifix to reminder us that Jesus died on the Cross to save us. The statues of the Saints remind us of the communion of saints, as they are there to pray for us and help us along the journey of life and the journey towards heaven.
There is one big statue at the front of the Church, and it is prominent enough that we can't miss it.
It is white in colour and bigger than life-size. It is the statue of the Good Shepherd and with four lambs. One is being carried and the other three are standing around.
That statue of the Good Shepherd and the lambs evoke warm feelings and sentiments of God's love and care for us, that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and that He will protect us from harm and danger.
That statue also connects us to today's Gospel and what Jesus said: I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep.
And when we look at the Cross, we can see it so profoundly and explicitly that Jesus is our Good Shepherd who laid down His life to save us.
In the Bible, there are many mentions of shepherd and sheep, and often the imagery is that God is the shepherd and the people are His sheep.
One interesting feature of the Bible is that, while all the books in the Bible tell us how God speaks to us, there is one book that tells us how to speak to God.
That book is the Book of Psalms. The Psalms also have many mentions of Shepherd and sheep.
One of the well-known Psalms is Psalm 23, also known as the Good Shepherd Psalm.
It begins with this line: The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
That psalm is also expressed in hymns, and it evokes feelings of how God loves and cares for us, that He leads us to the green pastures and peaceful waters, and that if we should walk in the valley of darkness, then God with His shepherd’s staff will lead us to safety.
One interesting point is that the psalm before Psalm 23, is also a psalm that we are also quite familiar with.
Psalm 22 begins with this line: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.
It is a cry of distress, and that was what Jesus cried out on the Cross: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.
But Psalm 23 follows up with: The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want.
So, the message is clear, that God comes to comfort those in distress, just like how the Good Shepherd will look for the lost sheep and tend to the sick and injured sheep.
Yes, “the Lord is my shepherd, and there is nothing I shall want”. Indeed, what else would we want when we have the Lord as our Shepherd?
This Sunday is known as “Vocation Sunday”, and vocations to the priesthood and the religious life is highlighted.
And there is something that we are asking of the Lord, there is something that we want of the Lord.
We are asking the Lord to send more men and women to serve in His vineyard, and especially more men to serve as shepherds, as priests, in the church.
Yet, the fact is that many are called, but few have responded.
So let us ask the Lord, let us invoke the Lord, that He will open the hearts of those He has called, so that they will follow the Good Shepherd in laying down their lives to serve God and His people.
On our part, let us pray and let us also encourage those who are discerning the call of the Lord.
May the Eternal Shepherd send us good shepherds who will serve with love and lead the people of God to green pastures and peaceful waters, as well as through the valleys of darkness and distress.