The Smell of the Sheep & Sound Doctrine

Today is Good Friday.

Yesterday, there was something in the Holy Father's homily during the Chrism Mass that struck me when he referred to the "smell of the sheep".  Click HERE to watch a clip.

That's right!  Sheep smell.  In addition to being not so bright and susceptible to attack by wolves, sheep just down right smell.

It appealed to me because Peter's task is to feed the sheep.  I never really thought much about the dynamics of feeding sheep.  But the Pope's point is to know the sheep and be with the sheep in the outskirts.


Here's a cute picture of a lamb that made me chuckle.  For credit, it's called "Irish Lamb" by moonjazz, and I found it from this link HERE.

There's something attractive about the task of the shepherd feeding the sheep...spiritually speaking.

So how does one learn the smell of the sheep?  Simple.  By being with them.  We smell the sheep so that we know them and can feed them.

Spiritually speaking, those of us charged with the task of handing on the Deposit of Faith as it has been handed on from the time of the Apostles feed the sheep with the food of the Good Shepherd.

Yes, we need to "be" with the sheep, especially in the "outskirts", and we need to know what the sheep smell like, and it's with the end goal of feeding them with sound doctrine.  This means that teaching sound doctrine is what smelly sheep need.

The Pope spoke of  "shepherds living with 'the smell of the sheep', shepherds in the midst of their flock, fishers of men."

The postmodern age in which the Church finds herself, the sheep in the outskirts are right in our own backyard.  In the West, the outskirts are just about everywhere.  A postmodern sheep in a culture of death needs healthy doctrine, a teaching that is heavenly and nourishes the soul.

If we have the teachings of the Church to feed smelly sheep, then it is our task to faithfully hand those teachings on to them.  We go to the outskirts, to places untouched by the Gospel, to places where even priests are not welcomed let alone any Catholic.

Feed my sheep, Jesus commands Peter.  Tend my sheep.  Three times He commands Peter for this task.  Three times shows its importance.

We must feed the sheep with sound doctrine.

AMDG


 

(Another Picture of) Peter Taking Jesus's Hand

Three months ago, I posted a picture HERE of Jesus taking Peter's hand to prevent him from sinking in the water.

Today, class, I'd like to post another version of it here, with a brief prayer:

Save us, Lord, for we are sinking.

Peter Taking Helping Hand of Jesus

Consequences of Artificial Birth Control

In conscience, I am duty-bound by love for God’s people to once again speak the truth regardless of consequence.  I would really much prefer not to, like the fleeing Jonah or the reluctant Jeremiah or the young Samuel, especially on difficult moral issues of the day, but my conscience tells me that my judgment before the awesome God of Love would be more severe if I do not open my mouth.  I asked the Lord to send someone else for this task, since there are still so many things in my life I need to sort out first, but He says to me speak my Word to my people since I have given you so many gifts and opportunities to live and teach my holy doctrines and to learn moral theology and that to whom much is given much will be expected.  

Pope Paul VI foresaw the consequences of artificial contraception in 1968: (1) A general lowering of morality; (2) the degradation and objectification of women; (3) an increase in marital infidelity; and (4) coercion by governments for manipulative population control.  We are seeing this last foreseeable consequence now with the President’s persecution of the Catholic Church in the U.S.  Not only in the U.S. but we are also seeing this play out in the Philippines, where our loving Father is King and Mary is Queen of the land, through the diabolical RH Bill.

The Church doesn’t teach that conception must occur after each marital act but rather that each marital act must be open to human life.  “Contraceptive sex” is not true sex but rather an act turned in on itself rather than the other.  As a great alternate that respects the moral law, Natural Family Planning is a wonderful gift to learn.  This is not Rhythm.  Let me repeat that: This is not Rhythm.  Oh, did I say that it’s not Rhythm?!  NFP as it is sometimes called is an exciting way for married couples to discover the beauty of the feminine body.  God is a genius in creating the female body, and married life is a great way to discover this together.

My sense is that many Catholics have been neutralized to speak in the public forum on this difficult issue, even if they were to agree with this.  I suspect this to be the case because I find that many Catholics are sincere in their faith and want to do what’s right even through weaknesses.  So other than educating the faithful with charity and mutual respect, I close here knowing that I can sleep in peace for having taught the Lord’s flock as it has been handed on to me and, by virtue of my baptismal call to evangelization, I hand on to you in season and out of season. 

God forgive me for my reluctance, weaknesses and cowardice like Peter, for fleeing at the sight of the wolves, and for leaving the lambs to fend off for themselves.  But may I and you and others given authority to teach the Faith say, in conscience, at the end of the day, yes, Lord, you know that I love you.