In today’s Gospel, Jesus says something simple: “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.” Those words would have sounded surprising to His first listeners. Many expected the Messiah to gather and restore Israel. But Jesus reveals that His mission is wider than they imagined. His heart is larger than they expected and the flock bigger than they thought. But isn’t it exactly what we see unfolding in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

Peter returns to Jerusalem and is immediately criticized. He has entered the house of Gentiles. He has eaten with them. For many believers of that time, this crossed an important boundary. It challenged long-held customs and assumptions. The concern was not trivial. They were trying to be faithful to the traditions they had received from their families and rabbis. But while they were trying to protect the boundaries, God was already expanding them. As Peter says: “If God gave them the same gift He gave us, who was I to be able to hinder God?” Indeed who are we to hinder God – a lesson we need to learn in every church age as we are so used to thinking of “inside” or “outside” the Church. While that may or may not be true as regards membership we should not let that limit our imagination of the wideness of God’s mercy. There is no one beyond the reach of God’s mercy. Not the intransigent family member, people with no visible faith, people drifting away from the Faith, or even people who believe they have fallen so far that God’s grace could not possibly be working in them.

The Shepherd seeks people we have given up on, in places that would surprise us, and into hearts we assumed were closed. The Shepherd is not waiting for them to find Him. He seeks the wandering sheep, the hidden sheep, the wounded sheep, the skeptical sheep, the embarrassed sheep, the sheep who think they no longer belong.

He seeks the people who carry quiet shame. They believe that because of what they have done, where they have been, or how long they have been away, they no longer count. The funny thing is that Jesus never says, “I used to have sheep.” He has other sheep – ones He loves before they repent, before they know they are lost, and before they even think to return.

And when they begin to ask questions, slip into the back of Mass, and “test the waters”, our task is not to stand in the doorway and inspect them. Our task is to rejoice.

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In the gospel reading for today we heard Jesus tell some bystanders who wanted Jesus to plainly say that he was the Messiah. Jesus replied: “But you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” Continue reading →