Christ, the Good Shepherd
Psalm 23: The Lord is my Shepherd
Sunday of the Third Week of Lent ~ 3/12/23
Today’s theme is, “Christ the Good Shepherd”.
I have always loved this scripture and the images it conjures up. Such a devoted shepherd who leaves ninety-nine behind to go find one lost sheep and returns cradling it in his arms or over his shoulders. While I, also, used to think that was kind of crazy; what if something happened to more of the ninety-nine? But, Jesus saw it as one, beloved, lost sheep that needed to be rescued from harm or death. And the bigger message, is that He is willing to do the same for us. It is the words, “gone astray” that jump out at me.
Jesus offers this parable to those who relied upon shepherding as a precious livelihood. The shepherds lived with their sheep! And, himself, a caring shepherd of their souls, even asked them ‘what do you think?’, knowing that they understood how important each and every sheep was to care for. “What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.” Matthew 18:12-14
How reassuring to have a Good Shepherd who is concerned just as much for our welfare should we go astray. There are many ‘false shepherds’ among us today, and ‘false prophets’. It can be difficult to distinguish between the two. Only proper discernment and knowing God’s voice – that small whisper – can help you truly know. We must test the spirits of those seeking to guide us down a wrong path. The wiles of the evil one are distraction, doubt, deception and despair! If you are feeling this way, you are not being guided by the Prince of Peace, the Good Shepherd. Open your Bible to any of the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles or the Letters of St. Paul to enlighten you with sound guidance from Christ!
I love this line in the prayer for today: “When I am lost, when I am confused, when I stray from you, seek me out and shepherd me, Lord.”
I’m just going to keep this simple and let you meditate upon this image, these thoughts and this prayer and hope it brings you great peace! And that it helps you from going astray. But, also, the knowing that should you go astray, Christ, the Good Shepherd will seek you out. Will you respond?
Blessings as you continue your Lenten journey.