Those who heard the readings from yesterday’s liturgy may remember that through the years the fourth Sunday in the Easter Season has been informally called “Good Shepherd Sunday” and it was a day we often prayed for vocations to the priesthood, at least in the United States.  The Gospel reading that usually anchors our meditations for this Sunday is taken from the 10th Chapter of John’s Gospel, where the Evangelist reports that Jesus gave analogies for himself drawn from leadership out in the pasture caretaking sheep and goats.   The Gospel reading for today’s Mass, in this fourth week, is the most famous of these comparatives – Jesus asserts that he is the “good shepherd.” 

Artwork that illustrated that analogy (especially from the 10th and early 20th Centuries) often gives us a somewhat saccharine image of the “sweet Jesus” that possibly belies the real intention of Jesus’ assertion.  It is highly possible that he meant the term “good” in this context to reference competence rather than kindness.  A good shepherd is one who gives the gifts of his or her life to making sure the sheep stay alive, healthy and together in a flock.  Sheep are flock animals and need the others of the flock for protection from enemies, as well as to care for abandoned or orphaned lambs, find good pastures and clean water etc.  Sheep also hang around each other – they seem to communicate with one another and like some other four hooved animals share some cooperation in child care.

A good shepherd is one who supports and guides the whole flock, and, ideally, each one within the flock – going after the lost, looking out for wolves, coyotes and other predators, protecting them from violent weather and seeing to the best pasturing in various seasons.  A good shepherd holds the flock together and they recognize him and follow him.  How does he teach them to do so?  By knowing each one, and providing its needs. All too often we Christians only think of shepherds as the clergy including Bishops and the Pope as “chief shepherds” but it is important that all the baptized understand that we too are called to shepherd a flock:  our children, our students, our co-workers and any number of other groups that seek our guidance and support.

The first reading today continues the sequential reading of the early Chapters of the Acts of the Apostles that began with Easter. As such the reading does not seem to have much to do with the themes of the Good Shepherd readings.  Because the whole Gospel is really focused on the Reign of God and how that is accomplished according to the Father’s Will it is good to spend time with it as more than a story of the early days of spreading the faith and find within the combination of texts important commonality.

This story of Cornelius is important for us and for all members of the Christian Tradition. It was originally about those who were drawn to belief in Jesus beyond the boundaries of practicing Judaism.  It is also an account of humans dealing with foundational change that God intends.

In the time of Jesus and the first Christians there were Gentiles (non-Jews) who lived close to Jewish communities throughout the empire, and were attracted to the Jewish God but chose not to submit to following the hundreds of laws and regulations of Judaism.  The Jews referred to these neighbors as “God fearers” and recognized their presence but did not invite them into their homes or spend time in the homes of these neighbors, both of which would have been forbidden by the Torah. 

Cornelius was an officer in the Roman Legions that kept order in the Jewish communities in and near Israel and Palestine.  He was clearly a God fearer, and a just man in a very unjust organization, and one who gave generously to the poor.  God spoke to him and told him to seek out Peter who was preaching the Good News of Jesus.  Today’s reading bring Peter back to Jerusalem to report to that very conservative Jewish Christian leadership on why he had violated the Jewish code of laws and spent days with this Gentile whose job made him a hated oppressor of the people of Jerusalem.  Peter told his account of discerning God’s Will in this regard and was very convincing, especially in comparing Cornelius’ experience with the Jerusalem community’s own in regard to the outpouring of the Spirit.

Today we realize that change and development is part of God’s plan.  God has been catechizing us for generations to understand that what we once understood to be certain truth may not be the way of God. The flock is considerably bigger than we ever imagined, the good shepherd hears Peter’s story and listens attentively to God desire and plan that we share the pastures of God’s creation with many who are different in a multitude of ways, but remain fully and completely human.  Do we each shepherd the flocks we are given with that in mind, or do we fight change and demand that our way is the only way to be.  If the latter is the case we have to look for the hidden motive of the hireling – we are in it for something for ourselves, not in companionship with Jesus.  Our competence in shepherding demands that we see new possibilities and new dangers as we look for the outpouring of the Spirit upon us again and again.