A: 4th Sun of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday (3 May 2020) - PASTORAL TRUST (Jn 10:1–11)

Stay home. Protect the health service. Save lives.

For nearly 50 days, this has been the banner statement of most countries while imposing the mandatory measure of community lockdown to deliver us all from the irrepressible spread of COVID-19. This command is anchored on two guiding principles. First is that the government that decreed this instruction has the respectable credibility of ensuring the safety of everybody as its primary objective, and is not blinded by the pressure of protecting merely the interest of the privileged few. Second is that the public has total faith in the system and, in effect, cooperates religiously with the guidelines imposed of staying at home and practicing social distancing. Succinctly, these two philosophies can be summarized under the two interrelated words of “trustworthy” and “trusting,” respectively.

Trustworthy. Shepherds should be trustworthy. In today’s gospel on the Fourth Sunday of Easter, which is all known as the Good Shepherd Sunday, Jesus describes the role of a shepherd to his sheepfold: “He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (Jn 10:3b) and “When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them” (v. 4a). Essentially, two characteristics are unveiled here, viz., the intimacy of the shepherd to his flock, and his readiness to put his life on the line for the sake of the sheep.

Pursuant of these traits, all leaders in our society should be down-to-earth and grounded to the trivial concerns of the most vulnerable in order to be effective. Moreover, this should be coupled by a sincere oath of offering everything they can, including surrendering their own lives if the direst need calls for it, to protect the people under their care. Accordingly, during this pandemic crisis, we can only salute the heroism of all frontliners, not only in the medical field, but inclusive of those who go out to the streets regularly—drivers, policemen, grocery sellers, streetsweepers, et cetera—to serve the public interest. In contrast, we call the attention of those officials who make wanton political decisions that favor only the rich and powerful, particularly those who prioritize market-economy over the endeared lives of the elderly, the poor, and the underprivileged.

Trusting. The sheepfold should be trusting. After highlighting the characteristics of a true shepherd, Jesus describes, too, the ideal disposition of the sheepfold: “[T]he sheep hear his voice” (v. 3a) and “[A]nd the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” (Jn 10:4b–5a). As the shepherd willfully gives everything for the fold, every sheep in return should be seriously at tuned to his directives and learn how to follow his lead without unwarranted grumbling and whining. Full confidence should, hence, be given to the shepherd, lest harm is inflicted to the fold especially with the unsuspecting sneaking of beasts, strangers, and thieves.

During this pandemic, it is understandable why many citizens do not show much respect to local community authorities. Indeed, everybody is negatively affected by the sudden change of day-to-day affairs, and desperately wants the normal way of living to return. However, while we worry about our parochial concerns, our societal heads are anxious of implementing decisions that benefit the greater population. As many are sacrificing their lives on a daily basis, voluntarily or involuntarily, may we learn to value their efforts by removing our indifferent selfish attitudes.

As we commemorate today Jesus as the Good Shepherd, may we develop in each of us the double-trait of trustworthiness in our leadership and trustfulness to authorities in order to protect and save more lives, as Jesus the Shepherd and the lamb, did by his sacrificial death on the cross.

- Rex Fortes, CM