Special
The Good Shepherd Guest Columnist Father Michael Bergeron
(This is the final installment of a series of articles about the relationship of a shepherd with his flock.) 23rd PSALM The story of the good shepherd is a good one – the 23rd Psalm is familiar to all of us. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose.” This first line is understood in relation to what sheep need. What do sheep need? Well, that’s simple. Sheep mostly eat, and they start very early. The shepherd leads them out at 3:30 in the morning. They are still groggy and undiscriminating at that time, so he leads them to eat rough herbage. As the day moves on, and their taste develops, he gradually leads them to finer weeds and eventually to the sweet, smooth pasture grass. Now deep in their ovine hearts, the sheep have a sense that the day gets better as it goes along (cause the food gets better), and they trust that the shepherd will do it again tomorrow! Humans also need a deep sentiment that life does not go from bad to worse. We need to trust that, after every rugged
journey, there is a restful pasture. We need to trust our Good Shepherd. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. In verdant pastures he gives me repose.” “Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.” Now sheep are skittish about running water. Even if they are very thirsty, they will not drink from moving water (in other words, a flowing stream) because they are innately fearful of falling in, and with their heavy wool, drowning. A bad shepherd will force them to the stream and force them to drink. A good shepherd will collect rocks and build little dams at the stream to create small pools of still water. It is the same water, in the same place, but now it is safely calm. Even the smallest lamb will not be afraid to drink. “Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.” Humans also need to be on the tranquil side of life now and then. We must struggle out of the raging torrent and find shelter in a quiet cove. Sometimes we are so bone-weary that someone else has to construct those havens for us. That someone is our Good Shepherd. “He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk in the valley of death, I fear no evil for you are at my side.” Did you know that there is really a valley of death for sheep in Israel? It is a narrow pass four miles long between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. The walls of this pass are 1,500 feet high, the width about 15 feet. Twice a year, the sheep have to pass through this narrow
20 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • February 2022
pass on their way to milder climate. “With your rod and your staff that give me courage.” Danger lurks along the path. First, there is a ravine that frightens the sheep. The shepherd has to coax them to jump. The sheep cannot be taught to overcome a present fear for a future benefit. Sheep are not that smart. They simply have to be coaxed across. Humans also have to be coaxed into the future. The promise of love does not automatically create a good marriage. There is no guarantee that the new job will work out. We can never promise our children that everything will be fine if they just make that fearful leap beyond adolescence. Some things cannot be taught or proven; sometimes, we must simply be coaxed, lured, led, prodded into what is best for us. That’s why we need to be shepherded – especially by one who has been there – our Good Shepherd. Do you understand that “leading us in the paths of righteousness” is a form of protection? We can be intelligent people, welleducated people, even religious people, yet like a sheep, somehow we may stray from the path of right living just long enough to become ensnared in a destructive relationship, a destructive habit, a destructive lifestyle. One of the most important prayers that many of us can pray is the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray, especially that petition, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” We need a shepherd. This is not to say that we can abdicate responsibility for our lives. It is to say that because
a
