Psalm 23, the Responsorial Psalm for this Sunday, is arguably the most well-known and beloved psalm from the Holy Bible and one that is often sung at funerals. The central image of this psalm is that of the Lord as the Good Shepherd, which is the theme of the Fourth Sunday of Easter every year.
The metaphor of the Lord as the Shepherd runs through the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments. In the Gospels, as we see in the passage for this Sunday, Christ applies the image of the Shepherd to himself. He is the Good Shepherd, and we, his followers, are his sheep. In the context of the biblical tradition, for Christ to call himself the Shepherd is to claim divine authority. Christ makes it clear that it is through him and only through him that we can have eternal life. The doctrine of Christ being the only path to salvation is stated very clearly in the New Testament, especially in the Gospel of John. The biblical teaching is clear: There is no way to eternal life in Heaven without Christ.
But, one might ask, does this mean that all non-Christians are necessarily lost, condemned to Hell for all eternity? The Second Vatican Council offered a nuanced understanding of this teaching. The Council affirmed that Christ is the only means of salvation. At the same time, the Council also upheld a concept known as invincible ignorance, which means that if someone does not know Christ through no fault of their own, their ignorance will not be held against them. They will be judged with regard to whether or not they embraced that which they recognized to be the highest good in their earthly lives. This teaching is still fundamentally rooted in Christ, because the Church recognizes Christ as the source of all good in the world. Thus a non-Christian who chooses that which they genuinely understand to be good is in reality making an implicit choice for Christ, even if they themselves do not consciously realize it.
As Christians, we should also remember that building a relationship with Christ does not happen in isolation. It's never just me and the Lord and the Bible. Just as sheep, who represent discipleship in the Gospels, are meant to be in herds, so also we are meant to be together with each other as we seek to build an ever-deeper relationship with Christ. The sheep herd is a metaphor for the Catholic Church, led by Christ himself, the Good Shepherd.
After his ascension and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Christ has led the Church through the Apostles and through their successors, the bishops. That is why the bishop's crozier, the long staff he carries, is shaped to resemble a shepherd's crook. Christ entrusted his teachings to the Apostles, who then went forth to proclaim the Gospel message to all the world. Throughout Church history, the teachings of Christ have been mediated for us through the Magisterium, that is to say, the teaching authority of the Church.
If we seek to understand Christ’s teachings alone, independently of the Church, we can easily fall into error. It’s not enough for us to seek to understand the Holy Scriptures alone, in isolation. During the Protestant Reformation, Luther and the other reformers claimed that each person could just read the Scriptures without the guidance of the Church, relying instead entirely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. But the result has been a shattering of unity among Christians. Since the initial split brought about by the Reformation, Christianity has fragmented into an estimated 40,000 denominations. The Holy Spirit, who desires the unity of the Church, is clearly not guiding such individualized interpretations of the Word of God.
Instead, the Holy Spirit guides our understanding through the Magisterium, that is to say, the teaching authority of the Church, which is exercises by the Pope and the bishops in communion with him. It is through the teachings of the Church that we encounter the teachings of Christ. Some might see such a structure as limiting, but in reality, the teaching authority of the Church is a powerful protection from human error. The Magisterium, guided by the Holy Spirit, ensures that we do not fall into error.
As we have seen, seeking to interpret the teachings of Christ opens us up to the danger of going astray. We see the same with churches that do not have the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. They fall prey to the various cultural trends that sweep through society. We see this especially, but not exclusively, in the mainstream Protestant churches in the Western world, which are continually embracing new ideological trends, presenting them as biblical values, even when these trends are deeply contrary to the Holy Scriptures. To hear the voice of Christ, we need to listen to the bishops of the Catholic Church, especially their leader, the Bishop of Rome, the Holy Father, the Pope. Only then are we safe from straying into error.
As we reflect on our lives as disciples, we should ask ourselves: Whose voice are we listening to in our lives? Are we guided primarily by politicians? By cultural commentators? By the entertainment industry? By movie quotes and music lyrics? By popular books from the secular culture? Or are we guided by the voice of Christ speaking through the Church?
In the Gospel passage for today, Christ also speaks of robbers and thieves, who enter the sheepfold to cause destruction. We should ask ourselves: Who are the robbers and thieves in our own lives? Who is seeking to pull us away from Christ? Are there such people in our lives? What are the institutions or cultural forces that are trying to do so? We must always be on our guard not to let any influence take us away from Christ.
In the passage for today, Christ also refers to himself as the gate. As discussed above, Christ is the only source of salvation, of eternal life. We should ask ourselves: Are we truly seeking the gate that is Christ? How are we tempted to enter through false gates that do not lead to Christ and the life that he offers to us? The enemy is constantly tempting us to turn away from the true path and to find fulfillment in another way. But we must not be fooled. We must focus on Christ and Christ alone, the Good Shepherd, who brings us to safety, feeds us with his own being, and invites us into eternal life, living in his unending, infinite love.
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The readings for Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle A, are:
Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Psalm 23: 1-3a, 3b4, 5, 6
1 Peter 2:20b-25
John 10:1-10
The full text can be found at the USCCB website.
Photo Credit: Jesus as the Good Shepherd from the early Christian catacomb of Domitilla/Domatilla circa 350 A.D. from Wikimedia Commons.
