In the tiny book, “The Way of the Shepherd,” Kevin Leman and William Pentak suggest seven ancient secrets to managing productive people. Couched in the imagery of shepherding, they propose the first secret: Know the condition of your flock. This means following the status of your people and the work; getting to know your flock, one sheep at a time; engaging your people on a regular basis; keeping your eyes and ears open, questioning and following through (Leman, 2004:15-28).
While Leman and Pentak use the biblical image of a shepherd to bring out certain effective leadership and management skills, I doubt if they have given effort to interpret it according to the paradigm of the leadership of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. Nevertheless, the first of the seven secrets comes close to Jesus’ way: Know the condition of your flock.
Knowing the Sheep. In today’s gospel (Jn 10:27-30), Jesus declares intimate knowledge of his sheep: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27). Jesus’ knowledge of his sheep goes beyond knowing someone’s name or characteristics. He knows his sheep deeper than their external realities. He knows their hearts; he knows their joys and sorrows, their hopes and anxieties. Such knowledge is intimate and personal, one that inevitably forges a strong bond of love and loyalty. While Leman and Pentak’s suggestion offers a pragmatic approach in terms of managing people, the Good shepherd’s way of knowing goes beyond pragmatism as it is essentially aimed at fostering intimate and enriching relationship between the leader and the followers.
Caring for the Sheep. Only this depth of personal knowledge elicits on the part of the leader a totally selfless commitment for the well-being of the followers. So we hear Jesus declare, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand” (v. 28).
What a consoling statement from a leader! Jesus, the Good Shepherd gives us, his beloved sheep, life. He takes care of us. He protects us. He does not allow anyone to snatch us from him. As the book of Isaiah has it: “Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care” (Is 40:11).
With Jesus as our shepherd, we experience total security. We are lovingly taken care of. No wonder we are attracted to him. We listen to his voice and we follow him.
Pastoral Implication: Charity over Policy. Is this how we feel now as a community of disciples in the church? In our parishes? In our religious organizations? Do we still experience that personal love and care in our communities? Or have we not become a rule-oriented community whose life revolves around policies instead of being animated by love and concern for one another?
Just as I was quietly reflecting on the implications of this gospel to our contemporary Christian communities, a member of a parish council informed me, being a guest priest in a parish, of a standing policy: There shall be no celebration of the Eucharist in the chapel communities on their fiesta when chapel leaders failed to attend the parish assembly. And next month, three chapel communities will not have Eucharistic celebrations on their feast day if I go by this policy! While I understand the importance of policies in any community or organization, I cringe at the idea of depriving the people of the grace of the sacraments as penalty for some organizational lapses. This turns us into a policy-driven community—a far cry from the community forged by the Good Shepherd out of intimate knowledge and pastoral love.
This Good Shepherd Sunday is an excellent reminder of the way of the Good Shepherd. We gather people not through the force of authority and policies; we gather people by the sheer power of attraction. When people are recognized, loved, and cared for, they come with joy.
Search for Public Leaders. Another relevant implication of this reflection on the way of the Good Shepherd is obviously on our search for our national and local leaders. Honestly, when I look at the list of those who are aspiring to become our leaders, my heart bleeds. As far as my own appraisal is concerned, very few are worthy of our trust and loyalty! Worse, these few trustworthy leaders are in danger of being out-manoeuvred by the crooks. What have become of us as a people? Why do we make it terribly difficult for good people to become our leaders and comfortably easy for the crooked to have their way?
We badly need a leader after the image of the Good Shepherd—one who goes out of his/her way to really know the condition of his flock, understand their world and empathize with them in their struggles and aspirations. We need a leader whose heart is for the interest of the people and not for himself or his selfish agenda. We need a leader who truly cares, who promises life and well-being, a leader whose voice we can trust and follow.
I believe this has to be an essential part of our constant prayers-- that the merciful God send us such a leader, one who will love and take care of his people the Good Shepherd’s way.
