May
15
Good Shepherds and Hirelings
John 10:11—18
What does it mean to be a good shepherd? How is a good shepherd different from a hireling? I think this theme is appropriate for a benediction commemorating the Fatima apparitions for a few reasons. First, it is very timely for us. We have many good shepherds in our midst, and we have many hirelings as well. It’s not always easy to see the differences and to tell them apart. Second, it helps us to recognize that it is always the case in our Church that we have good shepherds and hirelings.
It has always been the case. There is no golden era of the Catholic Church, unless you go back to Pentecost—that moment when all of the Apostles came to understand their mission and were filled with the Holy Spirit. And then human nature did what it always does. It faltered.
What does it mean to be a good shepherd? How is a good shepherd different from a hireling? I think this theme is appropriate for a benediction commemorating the Fatima apparitions for a few reasons. First, it is very timely for us. We have many good shepherds in our midst, and we have many hirelings as well. It’s not always easy to see the differences and to tell them apart. Second, it helps us to recognize that it is always the case in our Church that we have good shepherds and hirelings.
It has always been the case. There is no golden era of the Catholic Church, unless you go back to Pentecost—that moment when all of the Apostles came to understand their mission and were filled with the Holy Spirit. And then human nature did what it always does. It faltered.
