God’s love relationship with us is based on the filial relationship that God has with his Son. In the plan of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, it was already foreseen that men would form a single family where everyone, recognizing the only God as a Father, would live as authentic brothers. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the Church as the great family of the children of God.
Within this great family, God has chosen some to help him guide his children on that path of holiness that he proposes to us. The Church needs good shepherds who help, understand and guide the holy people of God, but, above all, who are part of that people of God, who feel, suffer and cry with the people, and from there strengthen them in hope , sustain you in faith, be the voice of those who are not heard and, most importantly, be a reflection of God’s mercy.
Our world, for a long time, has been stumbling without meaning, in this era of accelerated transitions, confusion reigns in many aspects of life, and it takes a lot of coherence to be a sign and bearer of God’s love to all. The world suffers from love, and the saddest thing is that it is sinking more and more, we have confused freedom with debauchery, we have confused fanaticism with religion and, what is worse, we have put responsibility aside giving way to false thought that “someone else will do it” under the excuse that “I’m not going to change the world.”
If it is true that there is only one earthly life, it is even more true that we need to live it fully and live it well, a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ who loses hope, who does not contribute that grain of sand necessary to be able to generate a positive change on everything that can make our passage on this earth happier, and we can only achieve that if we truly dare to live the proposal of the gospel.
The Gospel tells us about the figure of the Good Shepherd, the one who leads his flock to graze, and who keeps a good count of his sheep and when one is missing, leaves the others to rescue the lost one, the one who is lost, and does not give up in his eagerness to recover it.
Jesus Christ was the good shepherd, who even gave his life for the sheep, gives it up freely, even though it may appear that it was taken from him. Jesus fulfills the will of the Father, announces his kingdom and prepares the way for man’s salvation and redemption.
As a good shepherd, he guides his disciples preparing them for what is to come, which, although it would not be easy, will soon become for some the palm of martyrdom, without renouncing the main mission of glorifying the Father with word and action. of the. Thus, Pope Francis reminds us:
“The pastor, according to Jesus, has a free heart to leave his things, he does not live by making accounts of what he has and the hours of service: he is not an accountant of the spirit, but a good Samaritan in search of those who are in need. He is a shepherd, not a flock inspector, and he is dedicated to the mission not fifty or sixty percent, but with all of his being. Going in search, he finds, and finds because he risks; He does not stand still after disappointments or give in to difficulties; Indeed, he is obstinate in the good, anointed by the divine obstinacy that no one should be misled. Therefore, not only does he have the door open, but he goes out in search of those who do not want to enter through it. Like every good Christian, and as an example for every Christian, he is always out of himself. The epicenter of his heart is outside him: he is not attracted by his I, but by the you of God and by the we of men ”.1
Another fundamental element that makes up the good Shepherd is his sense of responsibility; a responsibility that is well understood that encompasses all aspects of life, a responsibility that does not exclude, all its “sheep” are important, it does not make distinctions, does not judge their thinking, and even when it greatly respects their freedom, it helps and collaborates to have great sense of what is just, respectable and, in essence, what makes your life honorable and worthy. For this reason, the Shepherd guides the path of good, raises his voice to point out danger, faces without fear everything and anyone who threatens the stability and common good of his flock and is capable of defending his own even to the point of giving life if the cause is just.
To achieve this, the Pastor cannot, under any circumstances, live apart from reality, since this also affects him as a person and, above all, “helps him to help”, puts him in the capacity of being able to transmit the gospel of a coherent and practical way that contributes to the construction of the Kingdom of God and, especially, to the salvation of souls. It is necessary to look with the eyes of God, listen with the ears of God, embrace with the arms of God, in order to see God in everyone.
We need holy shepherds who want to venture into the madness of following Jesus Christ, pastors rooted with their people and with their people, pastors who feel identified with their reality and who make witness and action the words of the gospel, and those shepherds have to go out from each other, from our families, from our schools. We do not have to be afraid, God gives the strength and integrity necessary to continue on his path, therefore, we need to pray more strongly to God, we need to collaborate with the formation of those shepherds, so that later they guide us along this difficult path. of love for God and neighbor.
Life has to be renewed every day with the touch of love, it is necessary to let happiness knock on our door and let it in, but we also need to testify to all those who do not know God of that grace that we receive. Love is the engine that has to move our whole life, our action, and only from love will we be able to live with Christ and in Christ.
God can always do more, much more than we are capable of imagining, it is only enough that you dare to put yourself in his hands, that you dare to allow yourself to be inundated with his Holy Spirit, and he will work wonders in you and for you. . Ω
Note
[1] Homily of Pope Francis during Mass on Friday June 3, 2021, in St. Peter’s Square, on the occasion of the Jubilee of priests and seminarians.
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