A Franciscan Parish

Browsing Father Larry Janezic, ofm

Fourth Sunday of Easter

A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”  John 10:10

As we continue to reflect on how the pandemic of the Covid- 19 Virus has effected our lives, I think that one of the areas of our social reality that merits reflection is the question of leadership.   Everyday when I look at the news programs I see different models and ways of leadership.  Sometimes our leaders are  helpful and effective, but at other times our leaders deserve our criticism.  The question of leadership is important in times of crisis.  The way that we tend to see leadership in the Church is that leader is  servant.  Good leadership is pastoral leadership. It means caring for people as a shepherd cares for the flock.  The Gospel teaches us that the shepherd gives his life for the flock. And the flock, trusts in the shepherd’s guidance and direction.

The teaching of the Gospel for this Fourth Week of Easter reminds us of Jesus as shepherd who protects his flock and does not let them go astray.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus refers to himself as the gate in the corral of the flock.  Any sheep leaving or any creature or person coming in would have to go through him.  Jesus cares for the flock by giving his life for them.  Jesus giving his life for us is an essential truth in our faith tradition.   We believe in the God who saves us by giving his life for us.   We hear this Sunday in the Acts of the Apostles, Peter announces this truth to the “men of Judea.”   He confronts them and accuses them of crucifying Jesus and exhorts them to convert.  The announcement of the truth of salvation in Christ was the invitation to conversion.  We are continually invited to renewal by this message. We demonstrate this by our care. It is like the care and dedication of the shepherd. 

As we live through this current pandemic, we can reflect on being agents of pastoral care.   On one level, we can express our care by our prayers.  We can also admire the dedication and care given by our medical professionals and public servants who have given their lives by saving lives.  We offer our support and collaboration with them by staying home and maintaining a good social distancing practice in our contact with others.  On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, in hearing the image of Jesus as shepherd, I would like to suggest that we be attentive to our leadership, both civil and religious.  We have seen conscientious leadership from Bishop Richard Pates.  He has demonstrated great care and an interest in protecting the flock by his direction of the Diocese.  Our civil leadership sometimes is not all that clear.  There are many civil leaders that recognize their promotion of the common good in their care for the people.  However, sometimes politics gets in the way.  Generally, politics is helpful in realizing the common good. It is the art of the possible.  But often it is motivated not by a desire to promote the common good but by a narrow political agenda.  One sign of the narrow objectives occurs when policies have a negative impact on the struggling and the poor. The current pandemic makes this clear.   The numbers of people suffering from sickness and death are disproportionately higher among the poor and communities of color. Perhaps this Sunday, when we listen to the teaching of Jesus as shepherd, we can pray for our leaders that they consistently strive to direct and protect the flock. We pray that our leadership may be a demonstration of Jesus the shepherd.

Fr. Larry       

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