May 11, 2025
Dear Friends,
John Connell is an award-winning writer and journalist from Ireland. Growing up, his family had cows and, after publishing a book ten years ago, he and his wife decided to raise sheep. I recently listened to an interview of Connell on the Preach podcast, in which he discussed some of the things he has learned from being a shepherd.
At one point in the interview, when he was asked to describe sheep, Connell said:
Well, you know, sheep are, to my mind, very brave little animals, actually. They’re very caring. They look after each other. They’re more intelligent than we think, but they can be vulnerable. They’re, you know, if they get sick and things that they don’t have as big of a fight in them as, say, a cow would, and they can be nervous.
So I suppose having worked with sheep now for over a decade, I have come to see their quiet bravery as something that I really admire in them. And I think if people would spend a little bit of time getting to know sheep, they’d realize there’s a little bit more to them than they might first comprehend.
When the interviewer asked Connell about the possible meaning of Jesus’ use of the shepherd/sheep metaphor in this Sunday’s gospel, Connell commented:
I think he’s saying that it’s about intimacy. I don’t mean in a romantic way. I mean, it’s about, I know you and you can be yourself with me. And I can be myself with you. And there’s a relaxation.
I think he’s saying, I totally understand who you are. And I want you in this flock. I can’t escape the imagery, but I want you in this flock with me. And there are others here as well who see you for who you are. So that intimacy, I think that’s what it is.
Since I know very little about sheep, I very much appreciate the insights that Connell can shed for us on Jesus’ words in this Sunday’s short gospel passage. Connell describes sheep as brave, caring, and intelligent. Those are words we would all like to apply to ourselves and to the people we love. Each one of us can recount experiences of being brave, caring, and intelligent, as well as witnessing bravery, care, and intelligence in others. No wonder that Jesus would speak of his followers as sheep!
But Connell also says that sheep are vulnerable and nervous. We may not like to think of ourselves in this way, but, if we are honest with ourselves, these qualities of sheep also capture something of our lived experience. We all have limitations and weaknesses. These may be physical, moral, or spiritual. We can also become nervous when we feel that our well-being or sense of safety seems to be under threat. Again, no wonder that Jesus would speak of his followers as sheep!
But the key point of Jesus’ words to us this Sunday, as Connell helps us to recognize, is the intimacy that the shepherd and sheep have with each other. The shepherd knows and understands the sheep in a profound and personal way, and the sheep know the shepherd in their own way. The shepherd wants nothing more than to lead and care for the sheep, and he is willing to give of himself for the sheep.
If this has been true of shepherds and sheep through the centuries and throughout the world, how much truer is it of Jesus and us! The Lord Jesus, the Good Shepherd, desires nothing more than to share with us, the sheep of his flock, the very intimacy of life and love that he shares with his Father in the Holy Spirit. He knows and understands us better than we know and understand ourselves. He also invites us to deepen our personal knowledge of him by listening to his voice, and he is willing and eager to give of himself to us, so that we experience this profound intimacy.
That is why the Good Shepherd gathers us as his flock, Sunday after Sunday, to listen to his voice through the Scriptures proclaimed and to experience profound intimacy with him and with the rest of his flock through our sharing in the Holy Eucharist.
Peace,
Father Leo