Pope Francis has been laid to rest at the Basilica of St. Mary Major, and the Church now finds itself in search of a new shepherd, the Pope, shepherd and successor of Peter.
At Mass on the third day of the Novemdiales in suffrage for Pope Francis, the Cardinal Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome expressed the feeling of the Church at the passing on of Pope Francis. He said ‘We feel like sheep without a shepherd’. He also warned that the present is not a time for nostalgia or fear-driven retreat. Rather, the Church is called to radical fidelity, to embrace a new heaven and a new earth, without succumbing to the temptation to cling to past certainties or worldly alliances.
At this crucial moment in the Church, we need to renew our faith in the truth of faith that the Lord is truly risen, and as he promised to be with us always, he continues to appear to us in various ways. Today’s Gospel recounts the third apparition of the Risen Jesus to the disciples, with the account of the miraculous catch on the shore of the lake of Galilee (cf. Jn 21:1-19).
Easter passages from the gospels teach us that Easter is not a one-time event. It is something that keeps happening. This is due to the fact that Jesus is alive, and continues to appear to us, in many and various ways. He also continues to give us the mission to be witnesses of his resurrection. The Apostles confidently preached and witnessed to the risen Lord even in the face of persecution and danger of death because they were convinced of his presence as he promised to be with them always.
One way in which Christ is present in the Church is through the Pope, shepherd and the successor of Peter. The image of Christ as the Good Shepherd is one of the most profound and comforting. It is rooted in both Old Testament tradition and the life of Jesus. The Good Shepherd conveys an intimate relationship of love, care and sacrifice between the shepherd and his flock. In every age of the Church, the figure of the pope stands not only as a successor of St. Peter, but as a spiritual father, a visible source of unity, and the shepherd appointed by Christ to guide His flock.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the door of the sheep. Those who enter through Him are the true shepherds, while those who seek to enter by another way are “thieves and robbers” (John 10:1). Pope Benedict XVI says that the metaphor of Jesus as the door of the sheep establishes the criterion for authentic leadership within the Church. Peter, who is entrusted with the role of shepherd enters through this “door” by his love for Christ.
When Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?” He is not only restoring Peter after his denial, but also preparing him to lead Christ’s flock. In this way, Peter becomes a shepherd who, like Jesus, leads through sacrificial love. By entering through Christ, Peter is not leading the sheep on his own behalf, but on behalf of the true Shepherd, Christ.
The role of Peter as a shepherd is exemplary for all of us sheep because we are also called to become shepherds and leaders. Some are called to be bishops, successors of the apostles, entrusted with pastoral care of a portion of Christ’s flock. Some are called to be priests and deacons. Some are called to be catechists, spiritual guides and teachers. All play the important role in the feeding of the sheep. The majority are called to be parents, shepherds of what the Second Vatican Council calls “the domestic church.”
No-one must feel like a sheep without a Shepherd because Jesus is alive, continues to appear to us, in many and various ways to shepherd and feed us.