The "Lost Shepherd"

" Jesus said, 'I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay my life down for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd." -[John 10: 11-18].


Sometimes, I think that young people think of living life as a Christian, as some kind of "performance art", such as when Julia Powell "attempted to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking.' " --[Amazon.com book review of "Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously".]

Some people seem to think that Catholics today are living some kind of a "social experiment", that only the foolhardy will attempt, since it is probably doomed to fail from the start.

There are a lot of arguments, that the "unchurched" and the "de-churched'" make, about the irrelevancy of Christianity today. One of the major arguments is that the complainant does not want to hear anything that a priest says, since priests are "old and white and know nothing about modern living."

These are the same people who would argue that the image of Jesus as the "Good Shepherd" is obsolete. Who knows a shepherd today, let alone a sheep?

I guess what I would ask you, then, is -- What is the replacement for Jesus as the Good Shepherd? If our response is, 'Nothing. No One' -- then how are we really better off?

There has been a lot of discussion lately about the secularization of our society. Fewer and fewer of us attend church on a weekly basis. Many Americans say that they are "spiritual but not religious". These are code words for, " I believe there may be a Higher Power, but I am totally done with the church as an institution."

So what substitutes for church? Or for the Good Shepherd?

I have read a lot of ideas recently about what is the "New Church"--

Maybe the "New Church" is the TED Talk, (TED standing for Technology, Entertainment and Design) ?  During a TED talk, which one can attend live or watch on video, an expert gives an inspiring talk about just about anything. If the TED Talk is a local lecture, people stream in as if there is priceless treasure inside. I am not disparaging the sincere pursuit of knowledge, but are we assuming that humans know everything? No, no, we cannot worship at the altar of Human Endeavor. That would make US God.

Maybe the "New Church" is Apple Inc. Plenty of people have already labeled Apple Inc. as a "cult". People line up outside an Apple Store for hours and days, to be the first to snag a new Apple product. Technology has made modern life far easier for us, but are we slaves to technology? Where is the soul in a cold, silvery metallic object with a glowing screen?

Maybe the "New Church" is the football game or baseball game? Billions of dollars are spent on stadiums, uniforms, logos, athletic memorabilia and fans' clothing. Fans in the stadium cheer their team, wave their arms and chant in unison. But in the process, athletes get life-long injuries, and we cheer ever louder as a player gets sacked with a crunch. Sometimes, the mania over sports just reminds me of Daniel and the lions' den.

Maybe the "New Church" is our fascination and even worship of money? We idolize Steve Jobs, and other captains of industry, as more than human. We believe that if we had all that money, we would finally be happy. But, money does not feed the soul. And sometimes, money is made in a soulless way: witness Bernie Madoff, Kenneth Lay of Enron Corp. and Bernard Ebbers of Worldcom/MCI.

Maybe the "New Church" is our idolization of power, as we endlessly watch and dissect the lives of celebrities and famous personalities. There are so many celebrities doing so much good in our world. But, others take drugs, have affairs, neglect their children, verbally abuse their staff, etc. Celebrities are not gods, they are just people like us, whose lives have come under the microscope.

I am feeling like we are going to an awful lot of effort to replace Church and the Good Shepherd. Where is the soul in our so-called replacements? Where is the nurturing and protection? Where is the tender love?

Our priests and pastors ARE largely elderly and white, (except in the African-American churches.) Priests, for a variety of reasons, are no longer seen as relevant, admired or even necessary.

Then, I ask you -- where do we go on a weekly basis for soul nurturance, for instant acceptance, for an inspiring sense of community, for fellowship, for a feeling of Someone larger and more all-encompassing than ourselves?

If we get rid of Church, if we "lose" our Shepherds, will we each be a lone wolf, without a Soul? That is a sad and frightening thought. . . .

[Related Postings: "Where Is My Flock?", April 29, 2012; "His Flock", May 16, 2011.]

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