This 4th Sunday of Easter is traditionally known as the Good Shepherd Sunday as the readings present Jesus as our Good Shepherd. As a consequence, the church has included this day to be a day for prayers for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. This story challenges us as to how much do we know the Shepherd.
At a gathering of poets, writers, actors and artists as well
as some prominent religious figures, the Master of Ceremonies invited a famous
actor to read Psalm 23 from the podium. He was of course very dramatic in his
interpretation...”The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want. He
makes me walk in fertile pastures.....” Everyone was impressed by what
they just heard and the actor returned to his place getting praises from those
around him. Then the MC noticed an elderly priest in the crowd and invited him
to read the same passage. The elderly priest walked to the podium with his cane
and with a soft but emotional voice started: “The Lord is my Shepherd,....there is nothing I shall want.....He makes me walk in fertile pastures,.....He
refreshes my soul.....”
When he had finished, there wasn’t one dry eye in the hall.
He went back to his place while the Master of Ceremonies came up, himself with
tears in his eyes. Then with a broken voice he told the crowd, “Ladies
and gentlemen, we witnessed something very special today. We heard the actor
and the priest read the same passage of Psalm 23. As you could see the actor
knew drama, he knew acting, he knew performance...but the priest knew the
Shepherd himself!”
How much do we know our Shepherd?
How faithfully do
we follow His leadership?
Who are the real shepherds
in our daily lives?
Are they leading
us in the right path?
Or are they
distracting us from following a true and honest shepherd?
Very powerful point, thanks again for a great post.
ReplyDelete