Being a Good Shepherd

 Pope Francis often talks about the importance of pastors having the smell of sheep upon them. Having traveled the Camino to Santiago de Compostella there are several images that emphasize this insight. The first is the royal road that gives local shepherds priority in moving their flocks from one place to another. This allows people to see the importance of a person leading others to good pastures but also a community recognizing that this is a basic underpinning for society. We are called to be people who seek good pasture that allows a person to be provided with the basic necessities of life. 

The second reflection is that the shepherd shares his life in the middle of the sheep. This emphasizes a basic familiarity with the conditions in which they live. The shepherd goes out to the field and learns to listen to their smell and their voice. He starts to be able to be present to who they are and respond to their particular needs. This allows a person to be available and present to them as there are.

In our own age, we also need shepherds. There is a need for the basic priestly presence of people being present to others in their own square metre. The ability to mix with people in our own neighbourhood and our own environment. This familiarity allows us to read the signs of the times by seeking actions that respond to particular needs. It also broadens our sense of home to not being isolationist but being people who see that our action or inaction has an impact on others. The call to be good shepherds seeks to befriend others and to see Christ in them.

We also need pastors who provide the point of unity and enable us to recognize how Christ is at work in our midst. We know how easy it is to be concerned only about our own mob rather than noticing the interconnection between our common humanity. It also seeks to see whether we are coated in fear or in love. There is a seeking that seeks to proclaim life that may be lived to the full. We need to reach out to each other in a friendship that proclaims Christ in risen for all people and for the whole of creation.