Alberic Jacovone OSB
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YEAR B
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Acts 4,8-12; 1 Jn 3,1-2; Jn 10,11-18
Hurting after ‘the lost’
Pastoral is not power-ful:
Psalm 22, ‘the Lord is my shepherd...’ & the Good Shepherd parable have
nourished the devotion & spirituality of Christians since earliest days. The
Latin word for Shepherd is ‘Pastor’: from it we derive ideas like:
pastoralists, pasture, pastors... which in their turn are linked with the
concept of nurturing, feeding, nourishing, providing food (from the Latin
‘Pasco, Pascere’). The logic of ‘pastor’ is well teased in Psalm 22, where it says: ‘you are there with your crook
& your staff, with these you give me comfort’. From this logic the Church
has adopted the ‘shepherd’s crook & staff’ as symbol of Church power.
Thus the Pope has the title of ‘Universal Pastor’ & all Bishops their
title of ‘Pastor.. Indeed, the very symbol of ‘Pastoral Authority’ is the
‘Pastoralis or Pastorale’, which is translated as ‘shepherd’s crook
& staff’. In Church language the word ‘pastor’ gives further energy
& meaning to ideas like: Pastoral Associate - Pastoral Council - Pastoral
Plan - Pastoral Care... all of which also derive their deepest insights from
Psalm 22 & from Jesus’ words: as he identifies himself with the good
shepherd who hurts for & goes after the lost sheep & mercifully carries
them on his shoulder, bringing them home & giving his life for them. This
then becomes the model of life not only for ‘full-time religious’ but for
every Christian. No one is a ‘dumb sheep’in the Church. We all have our
flock, our family, our circle of people, to care for & be cared in.
Shepherding belongs to all & it’s having a caring mind & a duty of
care. Indeed all things ‘pastoral’ (individuals, activities, groups...)
carry a requirement of becoming life-giving, spending our life so others may
have life & food in abundance.
Life givers not know-all saviours: Pastor, in its inner, archetypal logic,
implies that we -as Church people- live & tell the ‘Good News’, not by
arrogantly shouting & shaming people into our points of view, but by
‘laying down our life’ as Jesus did; who literally gave -& gives- his
life on the cross for us, lost sheep as we are & will always be. With Jesus,
we are on a ‘mission of compassion’; in it, we bind ourselves to exercise
duty of care
- constantly opening in us a spirit of compassion towards our fellow humans,
knowing that we all go astray - experience profound hurt & grieving - feel
sadness & sorrow when we or others in our families get lost & lame -
work tirelessly searching & hurting & mercifully carry one another’s
burdens in the safety of the fold, in the spirit of the song: he is not heavy he
is my brother. And this is not all: The energy radiating from the Good
Shepherd’s icon is such that we, -after Jesus’ example- encourage weaker
members - walk with them & put our life on the line to protect them... until
Christ is formed in them. And there is more still: essential to any pastoral
activity & shepherd-like concern is to enable others to nourish themselves
in ever-new pastures of life. In the end our task is to bring people to Christ,
who is the true shepherd of our souls, & enables us to feel secure, nurtured
& cherished, & thus living our life to its full. Question:
how & where do our pastoral activities get nourished? Answer: in our prayer life, indeed in any ‘group’ or private
activity that nourishes our spiritual life: it includes any ‘devotions’,
contemplation, meditation, healing of memories, mystical experiences, vows to
the Lord,... And in turn, these find meaning & fulfillment in the Eucharist,
at the table of Word & Sacrament. Remember: whatever you do, never see yourself
& never remain ‘dumb sheep’ in the Church: God has given you Your
flock to care for & to hurt with.
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