May 3, 2025 Written by 

Is there any evidence that Christ is Alive?

You see Him in the shepherd, when he expounds his life

(Jn 10:1-10. 10:11-18. 10:27-30)

 

We are used to imagining Jesus as a Shepherd surrounded by the flock with a sheep supported on his shoulders or in his arms. Such is the reproduction of the parable in Lk 15 and Mt 18.

As an alternative to the Synoptics, the Fourth Gospel speaks of Jesus’ distinctive trait as a true Shepherd, taking its cue from David's bold character in the episode reported by 1Sam 17:32-36:

«David said to Saul “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him”. Saul replied “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth”. But David said to Saul “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,  I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.  Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear».

The «Shepherd the Beautiful One» [in the oriental sense of charming but also authentic, true and just, strong and daring] of Jn 10 does not caress the flock. «He does not comb the sheep!».

Rather, He is the guide and protector who not only defies bad weather, but above all doesn’t fear ferocious animals, those who want to profit even from a single little sheep.

 

In recent Sundays the Gospels have highlighted how even today we can see the Risen Lord.

In the Thomas episode, how He manifests himself in the community gathered for worship; last week, how to perceive Him on a weekday and in ordinary settings where daily life takes place.

Today we can note how the Risen One reveals Himself in a flesh-and-blood "shepherd", who decides not to be a parlor trinket - and not to wag his tail if some bully or fake master comes along.

St. Augustine writes: «You man must recognize what you were, where you were, to whom you were subjected [...] you were entrusted to a mercenary who didn’t protect you when the wolf came [...] This shepherd is not like the mercenary you were under when your misery troubled you and you had to fear the wolf».

Glad tidings of the Easter season are that our lives as saved persons are secured by the resolute intrepidity of brothers who like Jesus (only here similar to David) are not afraid to fight, even to the point of exposing themselves to protect the voiceless of the flock.

 

Authentic shepherd is he who has the guts to face both counterfeiters and marauders, to snatch the bewildered and defenseless from their claws.

His credibility is recognisable right from the decise Voice, which does not allow to be silenced by blackmail. He doesn’t allow himself to be frightened off by the wily, nor to be subdued by the lack of social appeal.

His Word-event prolongs the creative activity of the Father, who restores life, enriches life, rejoices in the lives of the sons.

This is his Beauty, that is, his fullness of Love that abides, filling us with meaning - in the time of transhumance and in the change of seasons.

«The Shepherd, the beautiful one, lays down his life for the sheep» (v.11): He has a style that reverses the chain of command.

Thus, the Master never invited anyone [not even among the apostles] to be a 'shepherd', that is, one who leads and commands the flock.

His intimates are called to be «fishers of men». Interested in the reality of people.

Not "directors", but putting themselves at the service of the life and freedom of those who are unfortunately entangled in suffocating abysses, dangerous eddies of death.

 

The Plus of Faith?

The drive and freshness of those who lay down their lives without backing down, to defend the innocent ones, the last to arrive.

No dirigisme.

 

 

[4th Sunday in Easter, of the Beautiful Shepherd, 11 maggio 2025]

744 Last modified on Sunday, 11 May 2025 12:02
don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

May we obtain this gift [the full unity of all believers in Christ] through the Apostles Peter and Paul, who are remembered by the Church of Rome on this day that commemorates their martyrdom and therefore their birth to life in God. For the sake of the Gospel they accepted suffering and death, and became sharers in the Lord's Resurrection […] Today the Church again proclaims their faith. It is our faith (Pope John Paul II)
Ci ottengano questo dono [la piena unità di tutti i credenti in Cristo] gli Apostoli Pietro e Paolo, che la Chiesa di Roma ricorda in questo giorno, nel quale si fa memoria del loro martirio, e perciò della loro nascita alla vita in Dio. Per il Vangelo essi hanno accettato di soffrire e di morire e sono diventati partecipi della risurrezione del Signore […] Oggi la Chiesa proclama nuovamente la loro fede. E' la nostra fede (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
Family is the heart of the Church. May an act of particular entrustment to the heart of the Mother of God be lifted up from this heart today (John Paul II)
La famiglia è il cuore della Chiesa. Si innalzi oggi da questo cuore un atto di particolare affidamento al cuore della Genitrice di Dio (Giovanni Paolo II)
The liturgy interprets for us the language of Jesus’ heart, which tells us above all that God is the shepherd (Pope Benedict)
La liturgia interpreta per noi il linguaggio del cuore di Gesù, che parla soprattutto di Dio quale pastore (Papa Benedetto)
In the heart of every man there is the desire for a house [...] My friends, this brings about a question: “How do we build this house?” (Pope Benedict)
Nel cuore di ogni uomo c'è il desiderio di una casa [...] Amici miei, una domanda si impone: "Come costruire questa casa?" (Papa Benedetto)
Try to understand the guise such false prophets can assume. They can appear as “snake charmers”, who manipulate human emotions in order to enslave others and lead them where they would have them go (Pope Francis)
Chiediamoci: quali forme assumono i falsi profeti? Essi sono come “incantatori di serpenti”, ossia approfittano delle emozioni umane per rendere schiave le persone e portarle dove vogliono loro (Papa Francesco)
Every time we open ourselves to God's call, we prepare, like John, the way of the Lord among men (John Paul II)
Tutte le volte che ci apriamo alla chiamata di Dio, prepariamo, come Giovanni, la via del Signore tra gli uomini (Giovanni Paolo II)
Paolo VI stated that the world today is suffering above all from a lack of brotherhood: “Human society is sorely ill. The cause is not so much the depletion of natural resources, nor their monopolistic control by a privileged few; it is rather the weakening of brotherly ties between individuals and nations” (Pope Benedict)
Paolo VI affermava che il mondo soffre oggi soprattutto di una mancanza di fraternità: «Il mondo è malato. Il suo male risiede meno nella dilapidazione delle risorse o nel loro accaparramento da parte di alcuni, che nella mancanza di fraternità tra gli uomini e tra i popoli» (Papa Benedetto)
Dear friends, this is the perpetual and living heritage that Jesus has bequeathed to us in the Sacrament of his Body and his Blood. It is an inheritance that demands to be constantly rethought and relived so that, as venerable Pope Paul VI said, its "inexhaustible effectiveness may be impressed upon all the days of our mortal life" (Pope Benedict)

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