Fourth Sunday of Easter (April 29th 2012)

Gospel: John 10:11-18

Translated from a homily by Don Fabio Rosini, broadcast on Vatican Radio

Questions raised by this passage from the Gospel

1 Are my relationships with others coloured by self-interest? Do I seek to "get" something in return for the things I do for others?

2. In what way is the Good Shepherd's relationship with us foreign to the kind of relationships that generally prevail in our society?

3. In what sense does the consecrated life, as well as the married life, involve laying down one's life for others?

4. How does this Gospel passage make clear that love is something that is indissoluble?

5. Don Fabio says that we tend to back out of relationships as soon as the "wolf" appears. What are the things that act as wolves in my life?

6. Am I inclined to believe that I am not my brother's keeper? In what way is this attitude contrary to the attitude of the Good Shepherd?

"The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He is the one who teaches us the art of bleeding for others. I pray that the reader too will have a heart that is capable of bleeding. I pray that they will be willing to suffer for those around them. I ask that they will be ready to endure embarrassment on account of others, and that they will gladly face discomfort and inconvenience on behalf of their neighbour. I pray that they will have many dangerous wolves to face. I pray, in other words, that they will have much love to give."

The Good Shepherd relates to us in a way that is foreign to the mentality of the world

The Lord in this passage describes himself as a pastor, in contrast to a hired worker. The human being has a tendency to allow himself to be led by hired workers, by people who do a job only to gain profit for themselves. The human being is accustomed to reimbursing people for their services. We are used to having to pay in some way for the "good-will" of others. It is difficult for us to believe in the existence of genuine love, or to accept the unconditional giving of the Lord. In our unbelief we end up placing ourselves under masters that have to be heavily recompensed for anything they do for us. We end up being subservient to masters who abandon us when the wolf appears.

            It is not easy to open up to the Good Shepherd, because it requires the renunciation of relationships that we have control over. If I am to relate personally to someone who confronts the wolf, who confronts death and evil, who is willing to bleed in order to defend me, then this overturns the kind of logic that I am committed to and have bought in to. The logic of the Good Shepherd is completely other and highlights the mediocrity of the conventional order of relationships in our world.

The consecrated life and the married life require giving one's life for others

On Good Shepherd Sunday we are presented with a generosity that is anything but mediocre! Normally we focus on the consecrated life this Sunday. What do people look for from their priests? They look for pastors and not for hired workers. But often they have to resign themselves to the fact that it is not easy to find the kind of generosity that is the mark of the true pastor. It is possible to preach a good homily; it is possible to manage the parish well; it is possible to celebrate the Mass perfectly. But what people are looking for is someone who is willing to bleed for them; someone who is a pastor and not a hired worker.

            When we encounter a spouse, a child or a friend, we ask ourselves deep down in our soul, "Is this person a pastor or a hired worker? Is he here for his own benefit, or for mine? Does he keep company with me only for as long as it suits him, and if there is danger or inconvenience will he flee? Or will he be faithful to me?" The priesthood is a call to give one's life for others, and the married life is just the same. The spouse hopes to find in his partner a person who is willing to give their life for them, a pastor and not a hireling. A spouse does not seek someone who exploits, who serves himself, or uses the other for his own benefit. It is crystal clear from this point of view that love is indeed indissoluble. The call to love is unconditional. This is why the church proclaims that marriage is for life. It is a distortion of the truth to claim that marriage is something that is temporary. Love is not something that one can abandon as soon as the wolf arrives, or that can be disposed of as soon as it becomes inconvenient. The indissolubility of love is made explicit by this particular text. The Good Shepherd does not abandon his task when the wolf appears. He does not calculate the risks and then take a step backwards. The Good Shepherd is someone who offers his life for others. This is love, and if this is absent, then love is absent. As long as I say "I will do whatever benefits me", then I am a hired worker and not a pastor, nor a sibling, nor a parent, nor a spouse.

Who is willing to confront the wolf that prompts us to flee from loving relationships?

Our society is living out the drama of relationships that do not endure. Separations, break-up of families, infidelities, trusts that are broken. Few people are willing to confront the wolf. When the wolf appears, people flee and abandon their commitments. The Lord Jesus shows us another way, the way of indissoluble love. It does not matter whether we are married, have children, or are living the consecrated life. What matters is to have the spirit of Christ. What matters is to have the spirit of the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep.

Am I inclined to believe that I am not my brother's keeper? In what way is this attitude contrary to the attitude of the Good Shepherd?

There is a disturbing phrase from the Old Testament that this Gospel passage reminds us of. In Genesis 4, Cain commits the first homicide in history when, out of jealousy, he kills his younger brother Abel. After the murder, God cries out to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" The response from Cain is chilling: "I don't know! Am I my brother's keeper?" This is the typical phrase used by all of those who do not love. It is not necessary to physically take the life of another in order to "kill" them. It is sufficient to treat them with disinterest. The Hebrew term for "keeper" used by Cain also means "shepherd", and it refers to one who keeps guard, or who takes care of another. It is normal in human affairs that the older brother should take care of the younger one. If the younger brother is in trouble, then it is natural that he can turn to his older brother for help. But we are a generation that tends to ask, "Am I my brother's keeper?" We often hear the phrase, "That is none of my business!" or, "This is not my problem!" When we hear utterances of this sort then we encounter the assassin, the one who says, "I am not your keeper!"

            Let us ask ourselves the question, "Am I my brother's keeper?" There is only one honest answer to this question! Yes I am! We cannot truly live if we do not behave as shepherds to each other. We cannot truly live if every act we do is according to protocol or regulations; if our entire behaviour consists in doing what we are bound to do. I am not simply your bureaucratic assistant, available only at certain times, and who must be paid in advance! No, I am your shepherd and you are mine. It is not enough to say to my neighbour, "I have nothing against you". The fact is that we must be for our neighbour. Our relationships must be permeated by unconditional care for others. Even civil law recognizes that the negligent failure to provide aid to those in need is wrong. But unfortunately our relationships are often characterized by the wanton neglect of others.

            The Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He is the one who teaches us the art of bleeding for others. I pray that the reader too will have a heart that is capable of bleeding. I pray that they will be willing to suffer for those around them. I ask that they will be ready to endure embarrassment on account of others, that they will gladly face discomfort and inconvenience on behalf of their neighbour. I pray that they will have many dangerous wolves to face. I pray, in other words, that they will have much love to give.