The most important of those texts in today’s liturgy is
Psalm 23(22) – “The Lord is my shepherd” – in which Israel at prayer received God’s self-revelation as shepherd, and made this the guide
of its own life. “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want”: this first verse
expresses joy and gratitude for the fact that God is present to and concerned
for us. The reading from the Book of Ezekiel begins with the same theme: “I
myself will look after and tend my sheep” (Ez 34:11). God personally looks
after me, after us, after all mankind. I am not abandoned, adrift in the
universe and in a society which leaves me ever more lost and bewildered. God
looks after me. He is not a distant God, for whom my life is worthless.Another part of this homily reads;
“Your rod and your staff – they comfort me”: the shepherd needs the rod as protection against savage beasts ready to pounce on the flock; against robbers looking for prey. Along with the rod there is the staff which gives support and helps to make difficult crossings. Both of these are likewise part of the Church’s ministry, of the priest’s ministry. The Church too must use the shepherd’s rod, the rod with which he protects the faith against those who falsify it, against currents which lead the flock astray. The use of the rod can actually be a service of love. Today we can see that it has nothing to do with love when conduct unworthy of the priestly life is tolerated. Nor does it have to do with love if heresy is allowed to spread and the faith twisted and chipped away, as if it were something that we ourselves had invented. As if it were no longer God’s gift, the precious pearl which we cannot let be taken from us. Even so, the rod must always become once again the shepherd’s staff – a staff which helps men and women to tread difficult paths and to follow the Lord.
For full text go to: Vatican - Homily from Pope Emeritus Benedict on Feast of Sacred Heart 2010
(at Conclusion of the Year for Priests)
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