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Be A
Sheep
A
lamb in the arms of the shepherd, doesn’t see the wolves, |
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I realize that I should be thinking of turkeys this time of year. Lord knows, I am thankful for so many blessings my family has received, and this apostolate has received, in the past year. Our biggest blessing is each of you who share your feelings, your talents, your stories of prayers answered and prodigal loved ones returning to the Church. I strive to honor your sharing and do the best I can in the MMG for you. I am not always successful (gosh, I’m not perfect after all J ) but I am thankful for the opportunity to do what I can in this collective effort that you and I have embarked upon. Bob and I and those who help in the office, wish you each a Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving. But, it is not turkeys, that fill my thoughts this week. It is sheep. I suppose it is the fact that the season of Advent is so near. If we attend a performance of Handel’s Messiah, we will hear the words of Isaiah sung: “All we, like sheep, have gone astray.” [Isaiah 53:6]; “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd” [Isaiah 40:11]; and St Luke will tell us, “There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.”[Luke 2:8 ] As we soon set up our nativity crèche, (minus the baby in the manger for a few weeks) it will probably include some sheep who followed the shepherds, the first to go to the stable in Bethlehem to see the Christ-child. For a few years, as I was growing up, my farmer father raised some sheep in addition to his crops and other livestock. I tell you from experience, that sheep are not smartest animals around. They are also not the sweetest smelling. They certainly do not remain little cuddly lambs for long. It is no compliment to be called a sheep. But we are. When Isaiah says, “All we, like sheep, have gone astray,” we realize he is telling us we act like sheep. Like them, we often blindly follow the ways of the world. Hopefully, we eventually recognize the call of the Good Shepherd and follow Him instead. For many of us, including our prodigal loved ones, it may take a long time to recognize that voice. In the fields surrounding Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth, sheep depended on their shepherd to tend to them. The shepherd carried two tools--a shepherd’s hook and a rod. The hook was used to lift sheep out of places into which they had fallen among the rocks and hills. The rod was a type of club that was used to ward off predatory animals. The sheep depended upon the shepherd for help when they had cuts and scrapes. To make it possible for him to pour soothing oil on those injuries and heal them, they had to put their heads down. Above all, they trusted the shepherd to always be watchful, to care for them and keep predators away. When we approach the Good Shepherd with our prayer requests for our prodigals, we need to be just like those sheep. We should turn to Him for help with our problems and trials because we know only God can heal (only God can save a lost soul). We must bow down before him in prayer and petition (recognize that we are in need of His saving grace). Finally, we must trust Him to do what is best for us and for our prodigal loved ones, even if we don’t understand what that is (Thy Will be done). Perhaps we can even find a little of the shepherd in ourselves, by preparing during Advent to approach the manger on Christmas carrying in our arms (through our prayers) those straying lambs we love so much. May we all be like a lamb in the arms of the shepherd, who doesn’t see the wolves, but only sees the shepherd’s face. Meanwhile, may we each continue to have the perseverance of St. Monica and the unconditional love of the father of the Prodigal Son, until the day when we, too, can say, “Rejoice with me! The prodigal for whom I have prayed has come home!” |
