There is something unique about the location of our parish. I do not know of any other parish with a pasture nearby where sheep graze. Have you ever watched them? They move about with their eyes to the ground, always grazing, seeing only the patch of grass in front of them. We may be more like sheep than we care to admit, for like them, we can be too focused on what we want to consider the consequences of our choices and actions. As we graze our way through life, how often have we fallen over a cliff of sorts because we didn’t see where we were going? God knows well that we need good shepherds to lead us.
Without someone to guide us, we can easily go astray. We have many leaders in our lives, beginning with our parents when we were kids, but as Jeremiah observes, not every shepherd could be trusted. He quotes God as chastising the leaders of ancient Israel who led the people astray. “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture. You have scattered my sheep and driven them away.” God then promises to bring the scattered flocks back to their meadow by raising up a king who would govern them wisely.
That promise was fulfilled when Jesus arrived on the scene. Calling himself the good shepherd, he could see that many in the vast crowd were like “sheep without a shepherd,” so “he began to teach them many things.” In his wake, Jesus founded the Church to serve as our spiritual shepherd today.
Which shepherds do we trust and really listen to? I would like to think that every Christian listens to the wisdom of Jesus Christ, the good shepherd, but that isn’t so. Otherwise, our churches would be filled with people following the advice given in today’s gospel. Jesus, if you recall, invited the apostles to “come away to a deserted place and rest a while.” They had just returned from their first mission of sharing the good news with others and curing the sick. They needed a place to pray.
His timeless advice is meant for us as well. Jesus invites us to get away from the busy events of our lives and to make time to rejuvenate our spiritual well-being. He isn’t speaking of hiding out in some chat room on the internet. Instead, he is inviting us to find tranquility and awe in the presence of our God.
We can do that in any number of ways. For the sake of nurturing our faith, we gather each week to feed on both God’s word and the Eucharist. Alas, many people downplay the value of this time together. They remind me of sheep too intent on grazing to even notice the shepherd in their midst who seeks to guide them. When we ignore the opportunity to be in touch with the good shepherd, who then is taking his place as our shepherd?
We also need something more than the Mass to feed us. Jesus talked about a deserted place, which to me, means, a place apart from our daily commotions to be spend time in prayer with him. Think of all the many things you do in the course of a given day. How much of your time is time spent alone with Jesus? I suspect that those who make no time for daily prayer don’t give themselves the chance to see just how delightful prayer can be.
Perhaps one hiker can shed light on this for you. A woman was walking through the jungle when she suddenly came upon a pack of tigers. She ran and ran but the tigers were getting closer and closer. When she came to the edge of a cliff, she saw a vine hanging over the edge. With the tigers in pursuit, she climbed down the cliff, hanging on to the vine for dear life. She barely made it over the side before the tigers could pounce.
Looking down, she hears growls. Oh no! More tigers were waiting below. Looking up, she could see tigers above. Now what? Then she is startled by a rustling in front of her. Two mice appear and begin gnawing on the vine she is clinging to.
The desperate woman then notices a beautiful bunch of strawberries growing wild in a nearby patch of grass. She looks down at the tigers below, she looks up at the tigers above, and she looks at the mice gnawing at the vine. The woman then reaches for one of the strawberries and puts it in her mouth and enjoys it thoroughly. If only for a moment, despite all the perils around her, the woman experiences bliss.
Tigers above, tigers below, and any number of distractions and challenges threaten to undo the vines we cling to. Our days are filled with predicaments demanding all of our time and energy, our good will and patience. But if we look hard enough, we will find “strawberries” to enjoy and savor, reminding us that our lives are so much more than the tigers we outrun. These are the “deserted places” Jesus is urging us to seek out, the moments and havens of rest and quiet prayer which Jesus invited his apostles to experience. Face it, the advice here is simple: we must consciously look for and embrace such moments of grace.
We do so when we take time to be alone in prayer, meditation, reflecting on scripture, or even day-dreaming with God. Whatever you want to call it, Jesus calls us to a take delight in these moments we spend with him for they can truly be filled with bliss. Through prayer, we find the grace we need to make the right choices for our daily journeys.
A month ago, Pope Benedict declared this to be the Year of the Priest. Since we are called to serve as shepherds of Christ’s flock today, we stand in need of your prayers. Pray that my brother priests and I foster in our hearts a yearning for spiritual perfection upon which the effectiveness of our ministry rest. Pray that we remain strong in our calling to serve as your shepherds. Pray that we are given the strength, understanding and wisdom we need to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Pray for the grace we need to stay focused on our calling in life. Thank you.