4th Easter Being Shepherded into a better life

Photo by Sam Carter on Unsplash

Making the social media rounds this past week: a sheep caught in a narrow ditch, face down. So these young boys pull on its hind legs trying to get it out, all the while it is struggling. They finally pull it out, let it go, and it starts running at high velocity away. Watching it we can see the inevitability of what is about to happen, and when it does, it is funny and tragic. Boom right back into the same ditch, same position.

Here is the link for the video

Stupid sheep. Yet, very human.

We all can find ourselves repeating patterns in our lives.  Not all are bad. Rituals, say in the morning, help us to get ready without having to think too much.  Still, we all can probably recognize other patterns, behaviors, that are not what we desire, but for some reason we keep on repeating them, again and again; as persons, as a people, nation, church.

People with addictions certainly know this experience.  Others, we overreact to situations, to perceived threats, to not getting our way, and it can become destructive. We rant and rave about past sins against us by others.

People will talk to me about this. They are aware of their lives but they do not know how to stop; or even how to want to stop. They can be frustrated.  St Paul wrote that he was frustrated because he did what he did not want to do, and did not do what he wanted to do...  At least these people know it.

The more dangerous of us don’t even know we are caught in those patterns; our heads stuck in some hole in the ground.  This is the life of many of us who live with depression. And also the arrogant and narcissistic.

But, this is not just about our personal well being or our emotional, psychological state.  People caught up in unhealthy patterns of behavior, conscious of it or not, spread this like a disease, a virus upon others. It induces division, bitterness, even unto the sin of racism that exists; the disregard to anyone who would dare think a different way from us.

It creates a world of suffering. It is sinful. People literally die from hunger, from lack of clean water. People die at the hands of others who hate them. People die in this country, in this state, in our name because the state says it can kill them. People die because we think it is merciful to kill them, because they are inconvenient to my life. People die because they are told they are worthless.

God desires more for us. God desires more from us. God desires unity, joy, faith, life. God desires our salvation.  Jesus shepherds us to this salvation. 

Jesus, the person, his actions, his teachings, his Death and Resurrections break through, expose these patterns that have infected us, that we can follow blindly as persons and a people, so as to get us onto the right path, the better path.

The person of Jesus, both God and Human, tells us that we are all, every human person, from the unborn to the sick and dying, the innocent and the imprisoned, the poor along with the rich, no matter the nation of birth, no matter the color of skin, no matter our attractions, we are all Good.

So we can break the pattern of prejudice, hate, name calling, violence towards other human persons.

The Teachings of Jesus, on being humble, on making a point to listen, to be compassionate, thinking beyond our own egos, these keep us on the narrow path of unity, of community, of peace. So that we can stop the patterns of abuse, the divisions; so that we can work together for the godo of the many, not just the few.

The Action of Jesus on the Cross and rising from the Tomb show us that we all need to die to those ways that do not bring life to the world, that conflict with God’s desire for all the earth, in order that we may bring life to this world.

Die to our narcissism, our need to win and be correct, our need to draw attention to ourselves, to our addictions…

To live life well with and for others.

We know there are divisions, in this world, this country, our church, this parish… We can cast fingers at others and accuse them of creating divisions.  Unity begins with us stopping this pattern, and making the effort to heal.

1st John reminds us that we are the Children of God, but the fullness of this is a journey, it is a process. And we know that we will slip up. We will fall into those ditches, again and again. Christ will pull us out, again and again. God never ever gives up on us.

This is what we give thanks for in this Eucharist.  Christ lives; even after the worst sin, Christ lives and is here for us. But, we also need to do our part.

Stop falling into the ditches. Make changes.  Use that grace God gives so abundantly, and be those children of God.