16th Sunday, Good & Bad Shepherds

 

 In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah pronounces doom to the Kings of Israel because they were serving themselves, rather than the people.

He said, “Doom to the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered.” And he said, “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture. You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them.”

However, God promises-- He will send someone to reign as true king from the line of David. Jeremiah said, “I (the Lord) will appoint shepherds for them who will shepherd them so that they no longer fear and tremble and none shall be missing.” “I myself will gather the remnant of my flock.” “I will raise up a righteous shoot to David, as King he shall govern wisely…”

Jesus is the shepherd & king promised by God. He refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd. He said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.” Psalm 23 is fulfilled in Jesus: “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”. 

In the Gospel today, Jesus saw the vast crowd and said, “My heart is moved with pity for them, for they are like sheep without a shepherd.”

Recall Jesus told Peter, He was to tend and feed His sheep. Peter and His successors, as popes are the “Chief Shepherd of the Church”.

Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, and called shepherds of the diocese, and that’s why they carry a crozier (the long rod with a hook), to remind the people, they are sheep. A priest as the leader of a particular parish, is called, a pastor, because he is a shepherd of the local sheep. Every priest has a duty to pasture the people. It’s important for priests to proclaim the truth and to help the people avoid sin, to prevent them from going to hell or spending time in purgatory, so they can go to heaven.

Unfortunately, there are bad shepherds, who don’t preach or teach the truth. Good shepherds feed their flock with the truth and are not silent in face of danger. They warn sheep to protect them. Bad shepherds are silent in face of danger and fail to feed the sheep, the fullness of truth.

Bishop Strickland said, “Have you noticed that we are in the time of the silent shepherds – for never a word do they speak. For many, their betrayal is in the form of silent apathy...”

In the past, you had many good pastors here at Holy Trinity. It is evident, by the number of you, who are faithful in your weekend Mass attendance, your spending an hour with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration every week, the many children who regularly attend PSR classes, and the great number, who receive Communion reverently. Our parish is blessed and an example for other parishes.

But, in many parishes, this not the case. A parishioner recently told me she attended Mass at another parish, and not a single person received Communion on the tongue.

Since I have been here, many of you know I preach on all sorts of topics, including abortion, contraception, apparitions, pornography, purgatory, hell, heaven, attire for Mass and Adoration, and topics like the Eucharist, the Virgin Mary and the saints.

Do you know why I do this? Because when I was growing up in LaCrosse, Kansas, I was deprived of these things. We had three taverns, 2 liquor stores, and there was lots of drunkenness. In high school underage drinking, promiscuity, smoking weed, was common. Some students would come to school drunk, others high. When going into the boy's restroom it was often filled with smoke and it was not cigarette smoke. When I was in 8^th grade, half of the senior class girls became pregnant. In my class two out 15 girls became pregnant before they graduated.

Gossip was rampant and would ruin the reputation of good people.

When I was a senior in high school, a sophomore friend and a Catholic girl conceived a child and scheduled an abortion. But, they didn’t have it, due to a miscarriage.

Vandalism was terrible. In fact, one day every year was called, “damage night”, where the whole town knew on that day, you better stay home, turn on outdoor lights and lock everything up. Windows were smashed, cars were damaged. I can remember seeing a car jacked up on main street with a barrel under the back of the car.

When I went to church with my family, I never heard a single homily on any of these topics. No homily mentioning abusing alcohol is a sin, or abortion is wrong, and there is help for pregnant girls. No homily on vandalism, or the promiscuity, or to take drugs is sinful.

I heard no homily on the Virgin Mary or the Eucharist. Never was I told, if you miss Mass on Sunday, it’s a mortal sin. Never did I hear a homily that said if you commit a mortal sin, you are not permitted to receive Holy Communion, until you first go to Confession, otherwise you commit a sacrilegious communion.

I had never heard of making a Holy Hour, nor Eucharistic Adoration. In fact, I had no idea why we genuflect when we come to church. The silence on Church teachings, on moral issues, on the Virgin Mary, on the Eucharist was deafening.

In the 1970’s, there were bad shepherds that needed a good shepherd.

As Jeremiah the prophet said, “Woe to the shepherds who mislead and scatter the flock of my pasture. You have scattered my sheep and driven them away. You have not cared for them.”

I do these things, because I was deprived of them. I do it out of love for you. I want to help you to get to heaven. I am not a silent shepherd. I want to protect you-- the sheep, to guide you-- the sheep, to the restful waters of heaven.

I am not just trying to prevent you from going to hell, I am also trying to prevent you from going to purgatory. Purgatory is very painful. St. Augustine said, “The pains of purgatory or worse than any pain you can suffer on earth.”

We will be held accountable for every sin and the punishment due to it. To be disrespectful to our parents is a sin. To be disrespectful to teachers is a sin. To show a lack of respect toward God in the Eucharist, is a sin.

Imagine being attacked by lions, like the early Christians, who were thrown to them and the horror of being bitten and crushed in their jaw, or being captured in a foreign country and tortured by an Islamic extremist, or being burned alive in a fire. Purgatory is worse than all these.

St. Augustine said, “The pains of purgatory or worse than any pain you can suffer on earth.”

As a priest shepherd, I’m trying to prevent you from spending time in purgatory.

If we fail to go to Confession monthly, there is no doubt one will spend more time in purgatory. The more often we go to Confession and come to Mass to receive Holy Communion, the greater the likelihood you will skip purgatory.

It's not just about not avoiding purgatory, it's about love. How much do we really love Jesus? If we love Him, we will come to Him often-- to have our sins forgiven. If we deeply love Him, we will receive Him in Holy Communion, not just on Sundays, but during the week. We will give reverence due to His real and true presence in the most Holy Eucharist.

The Eucharistic Congress just concluded. 50,000 people were in the arena adoring Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration. That is what heaven is like, a multitude adoring Jesus and gazing upon Him with love.

In the Gospel today, Jesus said, “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest while.” When we adore Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, we can come to an out of the way place and rest from the stresses of our life. We sit in silence and allow Him to speak to our heart. 

In Eucharistic adoration, we gaze upon the Lord God almighty. How many do “face time” to see and talk to someone you love? But, how much more precious it is, to be actually physically and personally with the one you love.

How glorious and joyful, to be in the presence of Jesus, adoring Him, speaking to Him from the heart. To ask Him to console you when you are sad. To give you courage when you are fearful. To help you to forgive those who hurt you. To allow Him to love you, as you love Him in return.

Jesus understands you better than anyone. He knows you better than you know yourself. He loves you and cares about you, infinitely. He wants you to come to Him and show your wounds to Him, so that, by His wounds in His resurrected body in the Eucharist, He can heal you.

Pope Paul VI said, “Perpetual Adoration extends its influence far beyond the individual adorers, touching their homes and families and reaching out to the parish community and beyond!” St. Padre Pio said, “A Holy Hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament is worth more than a thousand years of human glory!”  Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “In order to convert America and save the World what we need is for every parish to come before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament in Holy Hours of prayer!”

Let us rest with Jesus in the Eucharist and pray for the shepherds of the Church, asking the Lord to give them the grace to not be silent, but speak the truth to save souls.