LITURGY AND LIFE

Tom Saretsky
 
Fourth Sunday of Easter
April 25, 2010

Acts 13:14; 43-52
Psalm 100
Revelation 7:9; 14-17
John 10: 27-30

Belonging to the Catholic faith can often be a frustrating membership. As much as I love my faith and the practices and traditions that go along with it, there are factions within our own ranks that make worshiping rather difficult. Sometimes members within our own faith can be more critical and judgmental of one another than those who are of a different faith tradition. I’ve been ridiculed and labelled for some of the views I hold. It’s even been suggested that I’m not a “real Catholic” because I don’t blindly agree with everything the church teaches. Has anyone, while growing up, ever completely agreed with everything their parents said?

We’ve all had differences in thinking and perspective from what our parents held, but that doesn’t minimize one’s place in the family or as a follower of a faith tradition.

Are we supposed to think, believe, act and worship alike? There should be some room for difference of perspective. Everyone acting, thinking and believing in the same way reduces our church’s followers to that of automatons. This makes the church a stagnant institution, and our church should be anything but stagnant. Pope John XXIII eliminated the stagnancy that had existed for centuries when he summoned Vatican II. He single-handedly brought the church into the 20th century and beyond. We still have a long way to go in fulfilling his vision, but the courage he displayed finally allowed us the opportunity to question, challenge and discuss openly. One of the great accomplishments of Vatican II was allowing its followers to celebrate the diversity that exists within our own Catholic faith.

Our church is not one-dimensional, but absolute sameness in thought and practice makes it so. I was fortunate to be raised in a home where it was safe to challenge established thinking, where we could critically discuss established practice and where we were encouraged to question absolute authority. We love the church, but we aren’t afraid to speak up and speak out when necessary. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking has its critics as well — you’re not considered a “real” follower if you challenge or disagree.

We follow the shepherd, but we don’t always consider ourselves sheep, for a sheep will blindly follow, act and behave in the same way every other sheep does — they’re not very smart animals!

Paul and Barnabas weren’t afraid to speak out. They had their critics and they were mercilessly condemned for their beliefs and teachings. “When the Jewish officials saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul.” It must have been terribly difficult to have a dissenting opinion from what the Jewish leaders held. Paul didn’t relent, however, and he spoke out with even more conviction by saying, “It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the gentiles.” 

Paul’s courage was impressive, and what a role model to follow when it comes to courage, witness and faithfulness! However, following in the footsteps of Paul means developing a tough exterior in order to withstand the stones that “true believers” will hurl when you contradict what they might think. It also means risking crucifixion. 

Today there are those in our church who are condemned and almost crucified for what they teach, for what they speak and for what they write: Megan McKenna, Andrew Britz, OSB, Rev. Richard McBrien, Rev. Andrew Greeley, Joan Chittister, OSB, to name a few. These visionaries are not afraid to speak truth to power. They aren’t afraid to challenge, and they aren’t afraid to shake the dust off of their feet in protest against established authority. They truly walk the walk of Paul.

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, and as sheep we listen to the voice of the shepherd. But that shepherd isn’t an institution — it is the voice of Jesus. If we listen to an institution that uses language to discriminate, subjugate or exclude, then we follow a bad shepherd. “I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my sheep, and my own know me.” In order to truly know and follow our shepherd, it’s imperative that we follow Jesus’ example: don’t neglect our neighbours’ needs, and don’t persecute those different from ourselves; don’t withhold Jesus, our daily bread, from those we deem unworthy because they don’t go to church, do not fully agree with what we believe or follow practices other than our own. Following the Good Shepherd means risking. It means being courageous in thought, word and action by speaking up and speaking out when necessary.    

Megan McKenna, one of the great prophets of our church, says, “May we all become good sheep that know the voice of the shepherd. May we all become good shepherds who lay down our lives for the sheep, and that begins with telling truth to power, confronting the other shepherds, and challenging the status quo.” Let us not blindly follow, but instead open our eyes and use our minds for the reasons God gave them to us. 

Saretsky and his wife Norma have two children. He is a teacher and chaplain at Bishop James Mahoney high school in Saskatoon.