Today's Gospel

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”
http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/10:18

Today's Gospel is the familiar one of the Good Shepard. Now the metaphor of the shepherd is obviously more appropriate to the more agricultural rural times but it is an easy enough concept for the modern person to grasp. 

What make a Good Shepard? One who keeps his flock safe from harm? Who leads them out of harms way?  I think that is a reasonable definition. How are our leaders acting as shepherds?

My local parish priest is a very good Shepard. He tends his flock diligently. Always around to help and give good advice. We met him in the street the other day and had a chance to chat which we never get to do on Sunday. He was telling me about the renovation. It seem they are spending about $4 million to redo the church and the parish hall. That is a heck of a lot of money but it is really good news. That means they will not be so quick to close this parish. They have invested too much to do that so it is a great relief. The reason why the parish is strong is because of Father Chris. He is very family friendly and parents come from other parishes just because of the way he treats the kids. Some live next door to a church and still come to St Mary's. It is because of the shepherd.

My question has long been what kind of shepherd will Pope Francis turn out to be when it is all said and done? His recent pronouncements about economics and the upcoming ones about global warming trouble me. We are currently facing the greatest challenge for Christians in many a long year. Christians are being slaughtered all over the world. In Paris they just arrested a gunman who planned to go to a church to murder Catholics. ISIS cut off the heads of Coptic Christians in Egypt. Muslim refugees throw Christians into the Sea and the President wouldn't even mention it in his Press Conference. The Italian Prime Minister said it was no big deal. Why should he when the Pope is not leading his flock? Pope Francis has spoken out but no where nearly enough. He should call a prime time news conference to denounce these murders. He should be shouting from the rooftops. He needs to be the shepherd that protects his flock. Even the other Christians who are not in his flock but still need his leadership.

"These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice." 

I don't think that Obama is a Christian. He is not a member of the flock but the Pope needs to make him hear his voice. The Pope needs to speak out loudly and vehemently and clearly that this situation can not stand! He needs to put the politically correct nonsense aside and lead his flock out of danger.

Where is our Shepherd?
.