In 2008, in our culture and our society, we don’t have a lot of shepherds.  We don’t know a lot of shepherds.  We don’t use a lot of shepherds.  Most likely, none of us in this church today have ever hired a shepherd to watch over our sheep.  On career day, back in fourth grade, probably none of us stood up and said that we wanted to be shepherd.  Shepherding is not a fast track to growth and advancement.  I mean, so let’s say you are a Good Shepherd.  Let’s say you’re a GREAT shepherd.  What exactly does that mean?  I mean, what do they do, do they just give you more sheep to take care of, right?  What exactly is a “good shepherd”?   Well, if we listen to Jesus’ description today, we find out that a good shepherd really isn’t that different from a good auto mechanic, or a good doctor, or a good investment banker, or even a good priest.  A Good Shepherd cares about what he or she is doing.  They’re not just in it for the money.  They care about the sheep.  They want to take care of the sheep because they actually do care about them and their well-being.  It’s not just another job to them.  They are personally invested in what they are watching over and taking care of, in the fields.  And Jesus is telling us, this is the kind of God that we have.  We have a God Who cares about us and wants nothing but the best for us.  This God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, loves us and is invested in us for the long haul.  We have a God who believes in us and loves us, even when we don’t believe in Him or love Him.  And that fact, my brothers and sisters, is what is going to save us.   It’s not going to be us.  It’s the fact that we have a Good Shepherd, Who because He loves, is doing everything that He can to get us safely home to Heaven.  All we have to do is follow Him.

        The care and concern of our Good Shepherd, our God, is what makes all the difference.  And don’t we already know that this is true?  I have a friend of mine who sells carpet.  He knows all about wall-to-wall, and stainmaster, and berbers, cut pile, cut loop pile, and area rugs.  Who knows all this stuff?  More importantly, who cares about this stuff?  Why in the world would anybody care that much about carpet?   And yet, if you’re looking for new carpet in your house, that is going to look nice, and last a long time, and not cost a fortune, you’re going to want to talk to some one like my friend.  It’s not a job to him.  Carpet is an art form.  That’s the guy I want on my side when I want to buy some carpet.  It’s the same with our auto mechanic, or our doctor, or our banker, or our priest, or our lawyer, or our barber.  We want one that cares.  We want one that is invested in us, and not just going through the motions to get a paycheck.   Isn’t that the kind of “shepherd” that we should want too?

          I mention this because we can have a lot of different “shepherds” in our lives: Our bosses, our politicians, our sports stars, our media folks, and even our friends.  Who are you following?  Who are you let lead you in this life?  Are they leading you to Heaven?  And do the “shepherds” that you’re following in your life, care about you and your life?   Or are they only leading you to serve their own needs?  These are tough questions to ask today, when we have to be very careful who we follow.

          And then, another important part of this story is that Jesus calls all of us to be “good shepherds” too.  We are to care about what we are doing and do it for the right reasons.  By our care and concern, we too can lead others to Jesus and His Kingdom.  Everything that Jesus was about, was about caring.  How terribly sad that so many in our world today think that nobody cares, because as His Church, we are supposed to be the ones today who care.  And our caring should make a difference.  Sometimes the most dangerous words in our vocabulary today are “I don’t care” or “Who cares?” or “Nobody cares.”  Those words are dangerous because according to the Good Shepherd, we are supposed to be the ones who care.

         Because we have a God Who cares so much, let us care about one another.  May our caring make a difference today.  Anybody can go through the motions.  Anybody can do a job.  We’re on a mission.  We’re on a mission from God.  We’ve got to care and love more, because we have been cared for and loved more than others.  Now it’s our turn.

God bless us as we continue to celebrate Easter, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…AMEN !!!

St. Maria Goretti…Pray for us !!!