Lessons from Shepherds in Scripture – Jul 21 – Homily – Fr Terrance

 

Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN, on Jul 21, 2024, where he highlights the role of shepherds in scripture, Jesus as the Good Shepherd, and calls for humility and trust in God and Church teachings.

The first shepherd mentioned in scripture is Abel in Genesis 4:2 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/4?2. He described their nomadic life and limited possessions, referencing David in 1 Samuel 17 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1samuel/17?40 and shepherds living in tents as in Song of Songs 1:8 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/songofsongs/1?8. Shepherds were selfless caretakers, a role mirrored by the leaders of Israel, like David in 2 Samuel 5:2 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/5?2. God is depicted as a shepherd in Jeremiah 23:1, 4 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/jeremiah/23?1 .

Father noted that aspects of life reflect divine truths, like the sun symbolizing God's light and the moon Our Lady's reflection of Christ's light. Jesus used the shepherd analogy, notably in Psalm 23 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/23, and identified himself as the good shepherd in John 10:14-15 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/10?14. A true shepherd loves and cares for the sheep, risking his life, as in Isaiah 53:6 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/53?6 and Hebrews 10:5-7 - https://bible.usccb.org/bible/hebrews/10?5.

Father encouraged humility and trust in God, following Christ's teachings and Church guidance. He urged seeking Our Lady's help in understanding and trusting God, promising peace and the heavenly pasture of paradise by following Jesus, the shepherd.

0:00 – Introduction
00:08 – Ancient Shepherd Profession
00:48 – Importance of Sheep
01:09 – Shepherd as Caretaker
01:56 – Leaders as Shepherds
02:42 – Symbolic Realities in Scripture
03:28 – Shepherd in the Old Testament
05:03 – God as a Shepherd
06:01 – Sheep and Shepherd Relationship
07:02 – Jesus, the Good Shepherd
08:07 – Passionate Shepherd
09:10 – Lessons from the Liturgy

Ave Maria!

Mass: 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Sunday
Readings:  - http://usccb.org/bible/readings/072124.cfm
1st: jer 23:1-16
Resp: psa 23:1-6
2nd: eph 2:13-18
Gsp: mar 6:30-34

More on the Readings: https://airmaria.com/r?m=820

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