In today's gospel Jesus uses the imagery of a shepherd taking care of his sheep. We today, in our society and culture, know very little about sheep and shepherding. The old Testament often speaks of God as a shepherd of his people Israel. In Psalm 23 we hear: "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want." Psalm 80 says, "Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock!" And in Psalm 100 we hear: "We are his people and the sheep of his pasture." In the book of the prophet Isaiah, the coming Messiah is pictured as a shepherd of God's people: "He will feed his flock like a shepherd he will gather the lambs in his arms." And finally in the new Testament in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus refers to himself as the "Good Shepherd who will risk his life to seek out and save the stray sheep." And that he is the "Shepherd and Guardian of our souls." Even today in the Church, we still refer to our bishops as shepherds who guide their flocks.

But what about this imagery of sheep and shepherding, what can it teach us about God and our relationship with Him?

At the end of each day a shepherd brings the sheep into shelter. They know the voice of the shepherd and come at his call. The shepherd and the sheep are so familiar that each is called by a distinct name. During the day the sheep remain in the fields but at night they are gathered into a fold which is guarded by the shepherd throughout the night. He is literally the door through which the sheep have to pass. The scriptures described God as a shepherd who brings security and peace to his people. Just as a shepherd keeps watch over the sheep and protects them from danger, so Jesus stands watch over his people as the shepherd and guardian of our souls. The question we need to ask ourselves is: Do we know the peace and security of a life fully submitted to God?

There are two dimensions to the imagery used in today's gospel. The first is the Good Shepherd's attitude toward the sheep. It is one of other-centeredness, which seeks what is good for the sheep, in contrast to the self-centeredness of the intruder, the thief and robber, who seeks only to profit from the sheep. It is important for us to be aware of these opposite attitudes, because, just as each of us is our brother's keeper, so also, are we our brothers' and sisters' shepherds, whether we like to be or not. It is through our daily interactions with others that we lead them by what we say and do, and most of all by what we are. Because of this fact it is essential that we cultivate in our hearts the other-centeredness characteristic of the Good Shepherd. Our attitude must be not: "what's in it for me," but rather, "what's in me for it." This is other-centeredness at work.

The image's other dimension is the sheep's attitude toward the good Shepherd, which is one of deep trust, a trust that grows out of familiarity. The sheep know the shepherd's voice, and each one feels personally addressed when the shepherd speaks its name. The question that each one of us needs to consider is: How familiar are we with our Shepherd? Do we relate to the Lord on a personal basis?

Today's gospel parable seems to be nudging us to ask for the grace of growing in this type of personal familiarity with the Shepherd, so that we can recognize his voice and feel personally addressed when called by name.