We have been given by Christ, his own visible representative to guard us and lead us safely to the eternal pasture.

This Sunday our liturgy shows us the perfect example of authentic love: the image of the Good Shepherd. Christ is the Good Shepherd who gives his life for the sake of the flock in the most perfect act of love…no greater love is there than this!

The earliest images of Christ that we have are those of Him as the Good Shepherd carrying a lost sheep safely on his shoulders; it is one of the most beloved of all the images of our Blessed Lord. This image reflects a perennial truth: that is there is a tender relationship between Jesus the Good Shepherd and His sheep; and this relationship is a refection of Jesus' own intimate relationship with the Father. It is also a reflection of an invitation, that through entering into this intimate relationship with the Good Shepherd-Jesus, we are invited as well to share in His own intimate relationship with His Father in the unity and love of the Holy Spirit.

And so, Jesus the Good Shepherd, who knows each member of his flock, also calls each one by name. He leads them; and the docile sheep follow because they know His voice and know that He is the one and only Shepherd who has only one flock, protected by the Father’s love. He is the chief Shepherd. The flock belongs to Jesus and He to them.

In his last appearance before he ascended into heaven and ended his visible stay on earth, the risen Christ made Peter the visible shepherd of His flock on earth in order to be the true guide of the members of the true Church of Jesus Christ; so that in Peter and his successor—the popes, the sheep would have a visible shepherd to follow and an audible voice to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd…as Jesus said, “He who hears you hears me.. and he who rejects you rejects me and the One who sent me.”

Peter continues our Lord’s own mission as His visible representative on earth. Peter is made the chief shepherd and guide for the whole Church. Peter’s mission is one of guarding Our Lord’s whole flock without limitations, even to the point of laying down his life for the sheep, as so many popes have done through the ages. His is also a teaching mission, passing on to the flock, with Jesus own authority, what he himself received from Christ, the deposit of faith, which includes all the teachings of the Catholic Church.

The Vatican Council points out, Jesus Christ put Peter at the head of the other Apostles, and in him he set up a lasting and visible source and foundation of the unity of both faith and Communion. And so, Ubi Petrus ibi Ecclesia – where Peter is, there is Christ’s Church. What a great gift, what a great relief, what hope! In this ocean of personal opinions, we have been given by Christ, his own visible representative to guard us and lead us safely to the eternal pasture. In union with Peter we know with certainty the truth that leads to salvation. For this reason the faithful of all ages have call the Pope, ‘the sweet Christ on earth’.

We have a chief shepherd, the successor of Peter, the current Holy Father, Benedict XVI, who in faith is truly the Vicar of Christ on earth. In the Pope we should see somebody who is in Christ’s place in the world. God Himself has chosen this Holy Father to lead the flock of Christ. Through his Petrine ministry, the Pope ensures the fidelity of our faith and preaches for all souls to hear (not just Catholics) that truth which is needed for our salvation, and he does so without distortion or error. It's not a human person that we are trusting but our Blessed Lord's promise to speak to us through this human person, the Pope.

So faithful obedience to the Vicar of Christ is how we listen to the voice of Jesus, the Shepherd of the flock and how we stay in communion with Christ and the whole flock. For our part, the flock, including each one of us, must be obedient to Peter’s voice, for it is the voice of Christ; obedience to the Pope is very simply obedience to Christ. Obedience to the unchanging teachings of the Catholic Church is very simply obedience to Christ. To believe this is to be Catholic to refuse to believe this is to cease to be Catholic. Obedience is nothing less than being willing humble sheep, docile sheep who let themselves be led, guided and yes, protected by the voice of the Good Shepherd, “my sheep know my voice.” This willingness to be led and guided results in a communion- a communion of truth and love with the

Blessed Trinity and with all the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.
The pope is however, given help in his mission of shepherding the flock of Christ by the faithful Bishops and priests. Pope Benedict recently wrote that the Bishops in union with him exercise and share fully in the office of Christ the shepherd. The Bishop’s flock is known as his diocese. Benedict went on to write that priests as well share fully in this office of shepherding, by the authority given to them by the pope through their bishop. Pope Benedict said that the priests in the name of the bishop gather the family of God together as a brotherhood enlivened by one Spirit. Through Christ they lead the faithful in the Holy Spirit to God the Father. The priest’s flock is known as his parish, and he shepherds it in the name of Jesus Christ and with Christ’s own authority.

Some of you may not have thought of this, but St. Patrick’s parish is really a sheep-fold. The parish boundaries are the fence of the sheep pen. And I as your pastor and shepherd am responsible before the head shepherds, bishop Doran and soon to be bishop David Malloy, along with Pope Benedict, and ultimately, ultimately I am responsible before Christ himself, for the care of the sheep within my sheep pen. And by the way, responsible not only for the Catholics, all of you, but for the souls of all the sheep; for all the sheep, whether in full union with the Catholic Church or not, belong to Christ. This also includes those sheep that while still living in the pen no longer hear the shepherd’s voice or who sadly leave the pen; if they live in the St. Patrick’s sheep pen, they are still ultimately my sheep and I have responsibility for them and for all before Jesus Christ, a responsibility by the way that I take very seriously. By the way, not to diminish Fr. William in any way, He is a good priest and a good and faithful shepherd, but as associate pastor a main part of his duty is to assist me in my duty as your chief shepherd, (which by the way he does very very well). He does not have however, the same responsibility to Christ as I do…and so he does not have the same authority that I do to run the parish, that is the flock of Christ here at St. Patrick’s.

As for the sheep, for their part, they are entrusted by Christ in the ministry of helping the pastor to shepherd the flock. You do this by your support, both spiritually, through your prayer and the offering of your sufferings and sacrifices, and also through your material support by sacrificing your time, talent and especially your finances...to do this faithfully is to follow the good shepherd Christ, not to do this faithfully is to fail to listen to His voice
Communion among the flock of Christ is only possible when the sheep are in union with their local shepherd--the Pastor, by listening and obeying his voice, who is also joined to the Bishop by obedience to him, who in turn is in union with the Holy Father by obeying and listening to His voice. Only in this communion, which comes about through obedience, is the voice of the Good Shepherd Christ communicated clearly and authentically to all the sheep. Then Jesus himself is able to shepherd the flock in and through the shepherds that He has personally chosen, no matter how unworthy they may be. If the flock refuses to listen to, love, and support their pastor; if the pastor refuses to listen to, love, and support the bishop, if the bishop refuses to listen to, love, and support the pope then the communion of the flock of Christ is damaged or even completely fractured.

In this we see the damage that dissent does to the body of Christ. The false notion put forth by many, including by so-called Catholic politicians, media personalities, university professors and others, that one can be a “good Catholic” and yet reject the teachings of Christ, which come to us infallibly, without error in the teachings of the Church, is nothing less that an outright refusal to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd; it is nothing less than apostasy from the true Church and they are nothing less than wolves in sheep clothing. And any bishop or priest that preaches the legitimacy of dissent are hirelings who do not care for the sheep and allow the sheep to be led astray or even consumed by the wolves.

Once we understand that the image of the Good Shepherd and His tending the flock is really an image for the model of the Church Herself, how can we not but more deeply desire to enter into the communion of the Church, which finds its source and summit in the Holy Eucharist? Pope Benedict says, that we commune with him and all the shepherds of the flock of Christ most perfectly in the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass-for the Holy Eucharist is the source of summit of the Church and of its communion and life with Christ and with Christ’s members. The Holy Mass makes present, truly and physically the Good Shepherd Himself- the Risen Christ, and our worthy reception of Him is truly a communion with Him and with all the members of His flock, shepherd and sheep alike.

Today let us remember in our prayers at this Mass, these intentions. First, for all the shepherds of the Church, that the bishops and the priests, in union the visible chief shepherd, Benedict, would shepherd the flock according to the heart and mind of Christ and so according to the teachings of Christ, willing to lay down their life for the sheep. Second, let us remember to pray for our flock here at St. Patrick’s, that any lost sheep and all sheep would find in our parish family the green pastures to nourish their spiritual life, especially in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist and Confession. Third, that we the flock would have the docility and humility to be obedient to the voice of Christ which comes to us through the Pope, and through our faithful bishops and priests. And finally, let us pray for holy vocations to the priesthood, that the flock of Christ would never be without Good Shepherds, Holy Shepherds willing to lay down their lives in imitation of the Good Shepherd in order to give the flock forgiveness of their sins and the Holy Eucharist, which is the Good Shepherd Himself, Jesus Christ among us who saves us from the wolves and hirelings and leads us to safe pastures.

Our lady, mother of the Good Shepherd, Mother of priests; mother of us all-your beloved sons and daughters, pray for us that we the sheep of the flock of Christ, may faithfully follow your Divine Son by faithfully following His Church and Her shepherds! Amen.