The Good Shepherd
By Br. Jeffrey Pagaduan, OP
What a very timely Gospel! Today, while some of our leaders continue to act irresponsibly over the series of bad events that happened in our country, we hear from the Gospel the consoling words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Let us therefore turn to Him and learn from Him.
The Good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The life of a leader is a life of service. To serve is not a work. It is a vocation. It entails commitment and responsibility. When one becomes a leader, he never ceases to be so. Every second of his life is a time of fulfilling his leadership. Why do some of our leaders often fail? It is because they see leadership as a work, a source of income. “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.” (John 10:10).
The Good shepherd know his sheep. In order for the leader to serve, he needs to know his people. To know the people is to live with them, to live their lives. One cannot serve by merely staying in his comfortable office. To live the lives of the people is sacrifice. We see this in Jesus Himself. Though he was in the form of God… He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7).
One can only make a commitment to serve if he knows the people whom he is serving.
Brothers and sisters, we can be leaders in our own simple ways. May the image of the Good Shepherd be the source of our strength and perseverance in leading the people in our home, school, and work.
What a very timely Gospel! Today, while some of our leaders continue to act irresponsibly over the series of bad events that happened in our country, we hear from the Gospel the consoling words of our Lord Jesus Christ, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Let us therefore turn to Him and learn from Him.
The Good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The life of a leader is a life of service. To serve is not a work. It is a vocation. It entails commitment and responsibility. When one becomes a leader, he never ceases to be so. Every second of his life is a time of fulfilling his leadership. Why do some of our leaders often fail? It is because they see leadership as a work, a source of income. “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.” (John 10:10).
The Good shepherd know his sheep. In order for the leader to serve, he needs to know his people. To know the people is to live with them, to live their lives. One cannot serve by merely staying in his comfortable office. To live the lives of the people is sacrifice. We see this in Jesus Himself. Though he was in the form of God… He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness (Philippians 2:6-7).
One can only make a commitment to serve if he knows the people whom he is serving.
Brothers and sisters, we can be leaders in our own simple ways. May the image of the Good Shepherd be the source of our strength and perseverance in leading the people in our home, school, and work.
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