[media presentation below]
GospelThink
Monday, May 1
JOHN 10:11-18
I use the image of a shepherd saying that the sheep recognizes my voice.
Prayerthoughts
a. One of the virtues of a shepherd was sincerity—they were sincere in their watching of the sheep. In my life right now, am I “sincere” with those around me, that is, concerned about their welfare?
b. The Lord contrasts the idea of a good shepherd and a hired man who runs away at the sign of trouble. Do I show true concern for the people who are close to me?
c. Do I show concern for the people who are not part of my life all the time?
d. “Laying down my life” for others is not only the thought of actually dying for another; it also could mean “going out of my way” to help them. Do I show this type of care for people?
e. The Lord wants me to “care” for people of different religions. Do I respect all people no matter what their religion is?
f. My prayerthoughts…
Today I will write a prayer expressing my care of people in general and one person in particular that I will contact today.
Some Thoughts on the Liturgy
CALLED TO BE “GOOD SHEPHERDS”
In the Gospel today, Jesus was speaking in Jerusalem. Around Jerusalem, there were many plains, abandoned and uncultured tracks of land, good for pasturing sheep. Those who took care of those sheep, the shepherds, were an interesting group of people. Principally because of this Gospel, in which Jesus compared himself to one of them, we think that they were gentle, kind people.
Actually, according to historians, most of them were just the opposite. They were dirty, smelly, ignorant people, who were looked down upon by many of the Hebrew people, especially the religious leaders. Shepherds generally did not respect the rules of religion. Actually they did not even like religion. Some of them were thieves, most of them tough characters who were not afraid to use their shepherd staffs as weapons.
And Jesus compares himself to one of them.
As usual, Jesus had a reason for saying what he did. It might best be worded this way: shepherds were “people doing what they were called to do as best as they could.” That is, they possessed the virtue of sincerity—you could count on them to do what they said they would do. Whether they were paid or not, did not matter. Good shepherds were sincere people, not concerned with show or what other people thought, but concerned with doing their job. Therefore Jesus could well call himself a good shepherd, a shepherd who truly cares for his sheep.
In a sense, as we consider our role as Christians interested in the spiritual life, we are all shepherds in one way or another. That is, we all interact with others; some of us lead others, as parents of a family or we are some type of leader of others. We work side by side with other people; all of us live in a world where people are pretty much the same—all people trying to make it in the world. As we do that, in light of this Gospel today, we are called to be good shepherds as Jesus called himself. That will mean a couple of things as we study today’s Gospel.
First, we are called to love those that we are directly involved with. Secondly, good shepherds often worked together as one group of shepherds, taking care of all the sheep, putting all of the sheep in one place, and caring for them together. We are called to be concerned about those outside of our familiar relationships—in Jesus words, “sheep that do not belong to this fold.” And lastly, we are called to work toward some type of unity in our world. Jesus says that a good shepherd should be working for this unity—
One flock, one shepherd.
We are called to be shepherds for others so that those who do not know that they are lost will find someone who will show them that they really are found.
MEDIA PRESENTATION
Song: “The Middle” — Zedd featuring Grey and Maren Morris
JUST MEET IN THE MIDDLE
The Gospel
MATTHEW 8:5-13
When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.” The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the kingdom of heaven, but the children of the kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” And Jesus said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour his servant was healed. |
The centurion in Matthew’s Gospel was a man who dealt with authority. He knew the value of obedience, but he also knew the value of compromise. He told Jesus that he expected obedience from those under his command. But he knew that Jesus was much too important for him to demand anything. So, he decided that compromise was the best approach. He wanted his servant healed, but he also knew that he had to give into Jesus’ time and energy. And so, he told Jesus that he did not have to come to his house. Simply say the word, he told him, and knowing Jesus, that was enough for him.
Zedd’s song that he sings with Grey and Maren Morris is a song about compromise, or as they call it “meeting in the middle.” One of them in the relationship made a mistake, and now he or she is seeking some type of “making up.” They are doing the right thing—they are seeking a compromise to the mess they are in. The couple realize that they had to meet “in the middle,” that is, to admit that the other in the relationship was important enough for each of them to give in a little bit.
The use of compromise is a common solution to resolving disagreements in negotiation and mediation processes and therefore important for relationships. However, while it may produce an agreement, compromise does not always resolve problems. This is because compromise is frequently a “settled” resolution to a problem and not typically the optimal solution sought by either party. It may generate a functional or material solution but not resolve emotional or behavioral issues associated with the disagreement. As a result one or both parties in the dispute may continue to harbor ill feelings or other dissatisfaction that can surface again if the parties continue to have contact with each other.
Compromise is a great idea, but there are often ill feelings or other dissatisfactions that result, and when they do, they will probably not be solved easily. The couple who are compromising must understand their human desires not to give in to another, and must face them head on so that an agreement will truly result.
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