My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

ON THE GOOD SHEPHERD
By the Augustinos Kantiontes bishop of Florina, Greece of blessed memory

The Image of the Good Shepherd

To represent the love that Peter and the disciple should have, the Lord presented Himself as a shepherd. It is not the first time the Lord used the image of a shepherd; He spoke one other time about shepherds and flock, both in the Old Testament and the New (Pss 22:1-5; 77:72-73; 13, Zachariah 10:3 Nah 3:18; Isa 40:11, 63:11; Jer 2:8; 3:1-3; ,15; 10:21; 12:10; 1 Peter 2:25; Heb 13:20; Ezek 34: 2-30, 37:24; Matt 9:36; , 10:16, 18:22; John 10:1-17; Eph 4:12.) In the Gospel of Saint John (10:1-17) two images are presented. One is the bad shepherd who enters the sheepfold, not through a gate, but another way, and is therefore not a real shepherd but a robber and thief who owes obedience to no one. The other is the beautiful image of the good shepherd who labors and sacrifices himself for the sheep. The Good Shepherd is Christ Himself. He said, "I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep" (St. John 10:11).

Those who live in the highlands, the livestock-breeding areas of Greece, have a vivid picture of the laborious life shepherds lead. At sunrise, they get up and lead their sheep to the cool meadows and to clear water. They guard them against the intense heat of summer and the chill of winter. They care for the sick sheep and heal the wounds of those who have fallen and injured themselves, allowing them to rest in the shade of trees. They amuse the sheep with flutes but carry a sling and weapons to drive away packs of robbers and thieves like the beasts of the forest that come out at night to devour the sheep.

A beautiful image of the shepherd can be found in 1 Samuel (17:34-35). David was a shepherd, the youngest son of Jesse. Let's see how he describes himself to King Saul, seeking permission to do battle against the giant Goliath, he said: "I watched over my father's flock in the wilderness, where there are wild beasts, lions and bears. I did not allow them to come near. I struck them. One day a lion…snatched a sheep from me, but I did not let him leave undefeated. I took the sheep from his mouth. He attacked me, but I took the lion by the throat and struck. I squeezed his throat and strangled him. O King, I fought and defeated the east that wanted to eat my sheep, how can I allow that dishonorable foreigner Goliath, who frightens the people of God, to go on? I look at him as one of the beasts of the desert which I attack, fight, and strangle." It was the shepherd's life David had in mind when, as king of Israel, he wrote the 23rd Psalm.

In this beautiful psalm, the Lord is presented as a Shepherd and believers as sheep that go in love under the strong protection of their Good Shepherd. It is as if David were saying, "Lord, when I was a shepherd, I let no sheep be devoured by beasts. My sheep were secure under my pastorage; how shall I not be safe in Your love and protection, for You must see me like a sheep in Your flock. If you are my Shepherd, how could I hunger, thirst, or become the food of wild beasts? No, Lord, You love me; You care for me; it is my steadfast belief that "The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters" (Psalm 23:1-2).

The image of the Good Shepherd should be in the minds of all those who lead those souls for whom Christ Himself shed His Precious Blood. (Source: Orthodox Heritage)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostom

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George