Today is commonly known as Good Shepherd Sunday. It puts before us one of the most familiar and beautiful descriptions of God. The prayers at Mass speak of Him as the “brave” and “kind” shepherd. For this reason, today is also World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As we hear about the one Good Shepherd we should be moved to pray for more shepherds after His own Heart.
Problem is, the Good Shepherd doesn’t make an appearance in today’s Mass. In the Gospel (John 10:1-10), Jesus says not, “I am the Good Shepherd” but “I am the gate of the sheep.” Which is not as warm and inviting an image. Christian art has many depictions of the Good Shepherd, but are there any of the Gate? And “Gate Sunday” doesn’t have the same ring as “Good Shepherd Sunday.” Still, this image (and more than that) of the gate captures not only what Christ is for us but also what should be prayed for, instilled, and demanded of the Church’s shepherds.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.” This verse is one of the great “I am” statements of Christ in John’s Gospel. Jesus makes the first as He comes walking on the water: “Do not be afraid. I am.” (Jn 6:20) After that comes a whole series: I am. . .the bread of life. . .the light of the world. . . the good shepherd. . .the way, the truth and the life. . .the true vine. With each statement, Jesus reveals more fully what was first proclaimed to Moses on Mount Sinai: “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14) He reveals more what the Lord is for His people.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.” We have to get the analogy right, because, like the others, this is not just an image. Jesus is not like bread; bread is like Him. He is not like light; light is like Him. So also, He is not like a gate; a gate is like Him – and points to the reality of what He is for us.
An evocative detail of shepherding in our Lord’s day is that the shepherd would corral his flock into the sheepfold and then would himself lie down across the opening – thus in a real sense becoming the gate of the sheep. Jesus is not just a gate; He is the Gate that all those other shepherds pointed to.
A gate guards. A shepherd might lie down and with his body against part of the wall or fence, to keep out what is not of or for the flock. As the gate, Jesus is the guard and guarantee of good shepherds. He keeps out “thieves and robbers.” This reminds us of the reality that throughout the Church’s history there have always been those so-called shepherds who do not want the flock to “have life and have it more abundantly,” but who have come only “to steal and slaughter and destroy.” In every day and age of the Church, there have been wolves in shepherd’s clothing.
But a gate also opens – and thus gives access to the flock inside the sheepfold. This is how true shepherds enter: “Whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” The gate is open, but as a kind of pathway that can only be passed by those who shepherd the flock rightly.
An authentic and authoritative shepherd is the one who passes through the gate, who approaches the flock – not on his own terms or his own wisdom or for his own glory – but through Christ Himself. A true shepherd proportions himself to the gate.
Indeed, this whole passage is directed more to would-be shepherds than to the sheep. John notes, “Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.” That is, Jesus is speaking not so much to the crowds – to the flock – as to those who claim to shepherd the flock.
Obviously, this also constitutes an examination of conscience for us priests (or maybe I’m just being too sensitive). The temptation to use the flock for one’s own selfish gain – for material gain or emotional comfort or applause – can sneak slowly and imperceptibly into a priest’s heart. The purifying question for a priest is whether I am entering into the sheepfold on my own terms and for my own gain. . .or through Christ the Gate.
To shepherd the flock of Christ means to enter the sheepfold through Him – that is, to know Him, to be one with Him, to take on His likeness. Those who pass through the gate are willing to know, embrace, and imitate the humility of Christ. The true shepherd is the one “who enters by Christ, who imitates the suffering of Christ, who is acquainted with the humility of Christ.” (Saint Augustine)
“Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.” Our Lord speaks these words in the Temple in Jerusalem. Interestingly, one of the principal entrances to the Temple was called the Sheep Gate. It was through this gate that the sheep were brought into the Temple for sacrifice and worship. Christ is the true Sheep Gate. He is the One through Whom we pass to offer our sacrifices to the Father.
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