[ Today's Readings ]
Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
Jesus reveals himself to his shepherds so that they can tend the flock in their midst.
Tend the flock of God in your midst,
overseeing not by constraint but willingly,
as God would have it, not for shameful profit but eagerly.
Jesus wants his shepherds to know him because he wants his people to know him. He wants his people to know him because we do battle against the netherworld. We are called to smash through the gates of Hell to rescue souls captive to the enemy. To do this we need the rock but on Peter to sustain us. We need the teaching authority of the chair of Peter to prevent the enemy from confusing us with false teaching. We need the sacramental authority of the Church to bring those have have been bound by the enemy so that can be loosed by the grace of Jesus Christ.
The point of all of the authority, sacramental, hierarchical, and any other kind we find in the Church is for the sake of the sheep. The Church has it that we might dwell secure even in the darkest valley, that we might not go astray, that the sick may be healed, and that the weak may receive new strength.The Chair of Peter assures us that we can always find the restful waters with which Jesus longs to quench all of our desires.
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
So let us be grateful for the concern of the shepherd for us. Let us share his concern for the entire flock.
And when the chief Shepherd is revealed,
you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
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