Our Lord used many images and analogies to help us understand the supernatural and sacred mysteries. On one occasion (John 10), He used the image of sheep-farming. Jesus compares Himself to a good shepherd, His disciples to sheep, and the devil to a hireling or predator.
Jesus describes His shepherding work in terms that remind us of the Catholic priesthood. Good shepherds do three key things: first, they teach their sheep by speaking to them; second, they lead or govern their sheep; third, they give life to their sheep by feeding them and protecting them from harm. In the ancient world, shepherds sometimes had to lead their flocks through the wilderness to find food, but the goal of the shepherd was always to bring the flock to the safety of the sheepfold. Jesus does these things for us. He is our Teacher, He is our life-giving Sanctifier, He is our King. He leads the flock of the Church through the wilderness of this earthly life towards the safe and green pastures of eternal life.
Our Lord appointed the apostles as cooperators with Him in His work of priestly shepherding. From the day of Pentecost onwards, the apostles shepherded the Church in Christ’s name: they taught God’s truth to the flock, they led the flock towards eternal life, and they administered the supernatural life of Christ’s grace to the flock. The apostles then shared this priestly work with other men, the bishops, priests and deacons.
The analogy of sheep-farming teaches us about the very nature of the Catholic Church as Christ established it. In particular, this image emphasizes the vital and essential role of the Catholic priesthood. To put it bluntly, without the shepherd, the sheep are literally dead meat. The same is true for us. Without priests to teach the truth of Christ, administer sanctifying grace, and lead the Church, we are spiritually dead meat.
For this reason, Saint John Vianney, the patron saint of priests, taught his congregation: “What is a priest? A man who holds the place of God – a man who is invested with all the powers of God… [E]verything has come to us through the priest; yes, all happiness, all graces, all heavenly gifts. If we had not the Sacrament of Holy Orders, we should not have our Lord… The priest is not a priest for himself; he does not give himself absolution; he does not administer the Sacraments to himself. He is not for himself, he is for you… The priesthood is the love of the Heart of Jesus. When you see the priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Despite the necessity of the priest in the order of salvation, Our Lord is realistic: not all shepherds are good. We know this all too well in our own day. Wicked shepherds serve themselves rather than their sheep. There are priests who use the priesthood and the Church for their own gain, rather than the salvation of souls.
All the more reason, then, to pray for our priests, for the men preparing for the priesthood in our seminary, especially Rhys and Greg, and for more priestly vocations. May more young men from our parish generously offer their lives as Catholic priests, so that we will always have good shepherds to lead us to eternal life.
Check out this beautiful video from the protestant Christian archeologist Joel Kramer: