May Pope Leo XIV be a good shepherd

 

Although yesterday was Good Shepherd Sunday, today's gospel is John's principal treatment of Jesus as the Good Shepherd.(John 10:11-18) Jesus says, ''I am the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. I know my own and they know me. They will listen to my voice.'' Mathew 18:10-14 tells us the parable of the shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep to go in search of one that was lost.When he finds it he rejoices. Just last week, a friend of mine told me about ''bummer lambs.'' It is the name for lambs left orphans when their mother dies at their birth or whom for some reason are rejected by their mother who refuses to give them milk. They will die unless the shepherd gives them milk from a bottle. When they grow strong enough they join the flock. The most interesting thing is that when the shepherd comes to the flock and calls out, it is the sheep that he looked after that comes running to him first. It is written up in Google which beautifully compares the ''bummer lamb'' to the lost sheep in Matthew's parable. But this week when we think of the Good Shepherd our thought goes to Pope Leo X1V chosen to be the new shepherd of the Church. Although Robert Prevost was born in Chicago, three years after his ordination in 1982, he went as a missionary to Northern Peru, where he worked in parishes, as diocesan official and seminary teacher. After a time as head of his Augustinian Order, he returned to Peru where he was named Bishop of Chiclayo in 2015, taking Peruvian citizenship. In 2023, Pope Francis called him to Rome as head of the department of Bishops. It was Francis who named him as a Cardinal. In his first speech as Pope he spoke of his desire to follow the Francis to make the church more missionary and especially to be a bridge for people in today's world that is so full of divisions and conflicts. He chose the name Leo in remembrance of Leo X111 who worked for the Church's commitment to social justice. As Bishop in Peru, he denounced unjust actions by Presidents and protected the rights of migrants, working with the poor and marginalized. Let us pray the our new Pope will be the Good Shepherd of his world-wide flock.