Good Shepherd (Homily # 2 of 2) (Monday, 4th week of Easter, 2021-04-26)

Monday of 4^th week of Easter / 2021 April 26

[__01__]  This is a gospel reading about the Good Shepherd which continues and is continuing a theme from yesterday – the 4^th Sunday of Easter also known as Good Shepherd Sunday.

          The Good Shepherd is an ancient image and a consoling image of Jesus/God as someone watching over us, not just to tell you or me what we are doing wrong, but also to lead us in right / correct paths for our own well-being.

          The Good Shepherd Gospel is telling us about physical, mortal and life-threatening danger and while we may – today  - be unlikely to face a wild beast or animal in the West Orange / Essex ecosystem, there are other dangers.

          There are near occasions of sin, there are people who draw us into conflict, there are people we may dislike yet we also try to love. There may be people whom we are afraid of (fear) either because of something they do/say…or we fear not being esteemed in the eyes of others. We may act or react in certain ways because we are concerned about the actions towards us – by others.

          In some cases, these are rational fears. In some cases, they are not rational and even a sign of our fragility, our brokenness and our sinfulness.  We need a shepherd, Jesus the Good Shepherd.

          How can we survive?

 

[__02__]  How does the Good Shepherd survive and thrive?

          Recently, I saw a YouTube video on the internet, while browsing around the internet, when I should have been working or doing something productive.

        View this link to CBS News Video in Salt Lake City.

          This YouTube video was recorded with both the sights and sounds in Utah and it was an encounter between a young man and a wild animal. This young man – Kyle Burgess -- was not a shepherd out in the wilderness but rather a young man of about 25 years old who was out for exercise, running, near his home near near Salt Lake City, Utah.

          It is there that Kyle meets a mountain lion.

          While running on the trail, minding his own business (or so he thought), he crosses paths with a few mountain lion cubs, i.e., very young mountain lions. The cubs – being very young are scared and they run away.

          But, the mother of the cubs, the mother-mountain lion was not pleased, growling and apparently ready to pounce to attack.

          I’d like to apply what Kyle – the young man on the trail was facing – and what he did as an act of survival and what Jesus tells us in the Good Shepherd gospel.

                   

[__03__]  [VISIBILITY AND VISION OF DANGER] 1^st, the young man recognized he was in mortal danger. But, he did not immediately go on the defensive.  That is, he does not present himself to the animal as being on the defensive.

Jesus as the Good Shepherd and as the incarnation of God, does not enter the world to be on the defensive.

Rather, he says, “whoever saves his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

          Jesus is “so much” not on the defensive that he also gives up his life.

          This is not his “defense” but rather his “offering” or “offensive strategy.” There’s an old saying in sports that that the best defense is a good offense …

          Jesus knows he’s going to be in danger …but this does not make him back down. He acknowledges it.

 

 

[__04__]  [VOICE AND COMMUNICATION] 2^nd ,  the young man in the video.

          TANGENT: oh, by the way, did I mention that Kyle recorded the whole encounter on his smartphone video camera and microphone. That’s how he made the evening news in Utah and got 186,000+ views on YouTube.

          Spoiler alert: Kyle escaped unharmed, uninjured.

          Kyle uses his voice. It’s important – as you may know – when encountering a wild animal to make noises and growl back, in a sense you are keeping the communication going – in an equal if not superior way – between you and the animal. Otherwise the animal will attack, sensing your weakness.

                            

          Now, in a real argument or adversarial conflict with another person, one real pitfall – sometimes even between beloved spouses or family members or dear friends – is that one may “shut down” or stop talking to the other.

          And, while in a real human-to-human encounter, it’s important to avoid sniping or growling…there’s a sense in which we want to keep the conversation going in a way that affirms who you are and who the other person is.

          One thing I recall Father Joe Petrillo teaching me early on was the importance of keeping the conversation going and communication open when in conflict.

          Use your voice.

 

[__05__]   [MAKE YOURSELF TALL. STAND UP] 3^rd,  What also helped Kyle to survive in the wild was that he stood tall, stood up, and made himself appear to be tall.

          In an argument or difficulty with others, it’s important to stand tall but without belittling or diminishing the other person or insulting the other person.

          Kyle – as a the hiker/trail runner in Utah – stood tall, but he also knew that he could not overpower the mountain lion.

          We also may fall into the trap of thinking we can overpower or overwhelm others.  Jesus does not try to overpower us with the Gospel. We are called to stand tall and take the high road with our values.

 

 

[__06__]   [HOW TO AVOID TROUBLE TO BEGIN WITH] 4^th , 

          And, maybe this is obvious but if Kyle had never crossed paths or caused the mountain lion cubs (children) to be scared, he would not have been in trouble with the mother/parent.

          In an argument or adversarial conflict, it’s good to be careful what we “go after” … what we may “target” or focus on whether by outright choice or inadvertent attentiveness.

          Do we, for example, “go after” or are we tempted the other person’s emotions or feelings  …or do we do something that might harm or endanger what the other person holds as precious?

          For example, in conversations with parents here at Our Lady of Lourdes, I am grateful to our Religious Education staff who try always to protect and out put our children and their well-being first.

          You also would do the same. I know that this is the ethos for so many teachers and coaches and those who care for young people.

          That is, while a child might require some extra help, discipline, correction, we try to do so while not in any way making the child seem to be not in a safe place.  And, we would not even want to give the appearance of making the child unsafe.  

          In Kyle’s case, he was in trouble not because he really endangered the cubs by his actions, but he appeared to be doing so.

         

[__07__]  [NEVER TURN YOUR BACK] 5^th,  What helped Kyle to survive with the mountain lion was that he did not try to turn and run away or turn his back. In fact, he was able to create a diversion by throwing a stone/rock in the other direction which caused a sound in other direction and caused the mountain lion to retreat toward that sound.

          Never turn your back. Jesus does not turn his back on us.

 

[__08__]  [REMEMBER] 6^h,  Kyle Burgess videotaped his encounter with the mountain lion and made the evening news in Salt Lake City.

          I am not saying you or I should videotape or record everything, but we are called to remember and pray about our difficulties so that we may not be on the news, but rather that the news – the Good News – may be upon us each day.

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