Who is your Shepherd?
There has been a number of tragic events recently. This past week we commemorated the anniversary of 9/11 and saw the assassination of Charlie Kirk, another school shooting and more. The Mass readings for 9/11 were a challenge. Colossians 3:12-17, Psalm 150:1b-6, Luke 6:27-38.
These unfathomable events were perpetrated by the enemies of Truth and Love. Yet, we are told to turn the other cheek and to love our enemies. That’s some tough medicine to swallow…
…until you develop eyes to see and ears to hear. At the core, this is not related to politics, personal opinions or personalities. The core of these tragedies is spiritual warfare. Spiritual warfare is not like corporeal warfare.
In this realm, we’ve been conditioned and socialized by things on this side of the veil. We operate too often in the “physical” and fail to see the “spiritual.” For example, we see and participate in worldly responses to the assassination – calls for the death penalty to be used…and quickly. We see people degrading Charlie Kirk, even in his death, because they don’t like what he had to say or how he said it. We see people degrading the people who are lifting him up. We see people who are lifting him up degrading the people who are degrading them. And on and on… These are all worldly responses. The cycle predictably perpetuates.
And they are the responses that Satan himself likes to see because the evil one works to sow discord. This is his world. He works to accuse. He works to corrupt, twist and distort what is true, good and beautiful. Speaking ill of anyone, contributing to discord, accusing others, mocking others… These are all signs of demonic influence and are tactics in the spiritual war that are used by the occupying forces (Satan and his demons).
Jesus wept for Lazarus. He also weeps for Charlie Kirk. And He will weep when Charlie Kirk’s assassin is executed. And He will weep when you die.
Why? Because we humans continue to reject God as we have from the very beginning. Instead, we embrace Satan and his lies. We continue to collaborate with the occupation. Death is the direct consequence of sin, our rejection of God. Jesus weeps for every death, for every painful separation of a soul from its body. But He is our Healer, our Savior and our Shepherd. As a doctor may weep for a patient who has endured tremendous pain, our Savior weeps for us. As a shepherd may weep for the loss of a sheep to the wolves, our Shepherd weeps for us.
Jesus took on all the sins of the world (past, present and future) with His own death (a sacrifice that only He, fully human and fully divine, could accomplish). He reconciles humanity to God and, with His resurrection, gives us eternal life (and eventual reunification of body and soul). We ALL have eternal life. The question is: “Where are you going to spend it?”
Do you enjoy the pain, tragedy, despair and hopelessness we often experience in this world? Most likely, the answer is no. Remember that Satan is the ruler of this world. He is the bringer of that pain, tragedy, despair and hopelessness. Jesus brings healing, triumph, joy and hope. Today’s readings tell us how to engage in the spiritual war in a way that will advance the kingdom of God. And it’s quite counter-intuitive to how we conduct corporeal warfare.
So, we have a choice to make. Reject Satan or reject God, who became flesh and dwelt among us in the person of Jesus Christ. There is no in between. There’s no being a “good person” and burying your head in the sand. Because this is a spiritual war and the battle is for every soul. Not taking a side means taking the side of evil one (Matthew 12:30). It’s exactly what Satan wants. There are no civilians in this war. We are all combatants and we have to choose which general we’re going to follow.
In more Scriptural terms, we have to choose our shepherd. Jesus often refers to us as His sheep. When you look at human behavior, it’s evident that we behave like sheep. There’s no escaping it, so there’s irony when we try to break free from being sheep to embrace our “freedom.” Often, it is with great pride that people mock Christians for being sheep. The reality is we’re simply choosing a different shepherd. Christians are, in fact, being mocked for choosing Christ as the Shepherd, rather than choosing the “anti-shepherd.” The sheep will always follow their shepherd’s voice. Even when we’re claiming not to be sheep, when we’re claiming to follow our own “truth,” we are, indeed, following a shepherd’s voice, not our own. That shepherd, or “anti-shepherd,” is Satan.
Who is your shepherd? Jesus or Satan? One shepherd leads to pastures of eternal joy. The other shepherd will turn you over to the wolves. Use your freedom to choose wisely. There is no third option.
Martin Smith – Director of Religious Education
St. Jude Catholic Church