Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B-2018

Shepherds Who Are Good and Sheep That Discern

Jesus is the good Shepherd. He knows his sheep, and they know and follow him. But they run away from shepherds they do not know and whose voice they do not recognize.

God condemns rulers who take advantage of their people. They are shepherds who pasture themselves. Accordingly, he promises to dismiss them. He himself will tend his sheep. He will save them from the jaws of opportunistic shepherds.

And God fulfills his promise as he sends us his Son. He looks after us, yes, through Jesus. And the good Shepherd proves himself through his effective compassion for the crowd, since they are like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus, then, is nothing like the exploitive rulers or shepherds. Unlike them, he looks out not for his own interests but for those of others. His concern is for his sheep. That is why he seeks those who have lost their way or gone astray. He strengthens the weak, binds up wounds and heals the sick.

No, Jesus never leaves those who belong to him. He has great concern for them. He loves them to the end. That is to say, he does not run away to save himself. He protects those the Father gave him, so that no one may be lost except the son of destruction.

Laying down his life for us, Jesus brings to fulfillment his teaching:

You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them and exercise authority over them.

But it shall not be so among you.Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;

whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.For the Son of Man did not come to be served but

to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Once again, the good Shepherd differs greatly from shepherds who lord it over their sheep harshly. And one more thing, the good Shepherd fosters unity: “there will be one flock, one Shepherd.”

Give us, oh good Shepherd, shepherds after your own heart, who will shepherd us wisely and prudently. Make us who partake of the table of your Word and Sacrament to me more like you. In that way, we will never play the master (SV.EN XI:313) and will distinguish between true and false shepherds.

22 April 2018

Fourth Sunday of Easter (B)

Acts 4, 8-12; 1 Jn 3, 1-2; Jn 10, 11-18

VERSIÓN ESPAÑOLA

Pastores buenos y ovejas discernidoras

Jesús es el buen Pastor. Conoce a sus ovejas, y ellas lo conocen y siguen. Pero huyen de los pastores a quienes desconocen y cuya voz no reconocen.

Condena Dios a los jefes que se aprovechan del pueblo. Son pastores que se apacientan a sí mismos. Por lo tanto, Dios promete destituirlos. Él mismo apacentará a sus ovejas. Las librará de las fauces de los pastores oportunistas.

Y cumple Dios su promesa al enviarnos a su Hijo. Nos apacienta, sí, mediante Jesús. Y se acredita el buen Pastor por su compasión efectiva de las gentes, porque andan como ovejas sin pastor.

Así que Jesús no es nada como los jefes o pastores explotadores. A diferencia de los que se encierran en sus intereses, Jesús busca los intereses de los demás. El buen Pastor se preocupa de sus ovejas. Por eso, busca las ovejas perdidas y descarriadas, fortalece las débiles, cura las heridas y las enfermas.

No, Jesús no abandona jamás a los suyos. Ellos le interesan sobremanera. Los ama hasta el extremo. Es decir, no huye para salvarse a sí mismo. Así custodia a los que el Padre le dio, para que ninguno se pierda, menos el hijo de la perdición.

Dando la vida por nosotros, lleva Jesús a pleno cabo su enseñanza:

Sabéis que los que son reconocidos como jefes de los pueblos los tiranizan, y que los grandes les oprimen.

Vosotros nada de eso: el que quiera ser grande, sea vuestro servidor; y el que quiera ser el primero, sea esclavo

de todos. Porque el Hijo del Hombre no ha venido para que le sirvan, sino para servir y dar su vida en rescate por todos.

Una vez más, se diferencia enormemente el buen Pastor de los pastores que tiranizan a las ovejas severamente. Y una cosa más, el buen Pastor promueve la unidad: «habrá un solo rebaño, un solo Pastor».

Danos, oh buen Pastor, pastores según tu corazón que nos apacienten con conocimiento y sabiduría. Aseméjanos a ti a los que participamos de la mesa de tu Palabra y de tu Sacramento. Así no tendremos «la pasión de ser el maestro» (SV.ES XI:238) y distinguiremos los verdaderos pastores de los falsos.

22 Abril 2018

4º Domingo de Pascua (B)

Hch 4, 8-12; 1 Jn 3, 1-2; Jn 10, 11-18