Being Sheep
“Jesus said to his Apostles:
‘Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.’”Matthew 10:16
Our world is a crazy and dangerous place. Just my opinion, but do you agree? Of course it is good because God created it, but because of sin what was created good has been misused and twisted. But this isn’t new. Even in Jesus’ time and before, the world has seen its share of evil. Jesus warns His Apostles to be careful because they were being sent out “like sheep in the midst of wolves.” We, Christians, people who try to live out the life Jesus lived and preached are the sheep who strive to follow the lead of the Good Shepherd. But sometimes we are blocked and even struck down by wolves, by those who do not see this Love or believe the truth that they were made in the image and likeness of a God who has loved them from all eternity. Maybe sometimes we become those wolves who prevent the sheep from following the Good Shepherd. Do our lives — all that we do and say (and think) — reflect the life of Christ? The love with which He loved? Or do our lives lead others astray, away from the truth, away from God?
Today the Church celebrates the feast day of some very important people, some people near and dear to my heart: the Chinese martyrs. The collect or opening prayer at Mass reads: “All-powerful, ever-living God, turn our weakness into strength. As you gave Augustine Zhao Rong and the martyrs of China the courage to suffer death for Christ, give us the courage to live in faithful witness to you.” It was in their weakness that the martyrs were given the courage to “suffer death for Christ.” St. Augustine Zhao Rong and 119 of his companions were canonized by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000. Before this, there were no canonized saints in China. The faith was brought to China as early as the 5th century and the first church was built in the 7th century. The Chinese people waited for 1500 years for a saint from their own native land. The first major persecutions of Christians in China followed the Rites Controversy in 1648 when a Dominican missionary was beheaded. Since then 119 more were martyred in the next 280 years. The oldest was 79 and the youngest was 9 years old. Their faith was incredible. These were truly sheep of the Good Shepherd. From enthusiastically saying “Yes!” when asked if he believed in God knowing the soldiers were out to kill Christians and being sliced and skinned while saying “every drop of my blood will show that I am a Christian” to tracing the sign of the Cross upon arriving at the place of their execution and then saying “Now, I am ready to die.” These sheep ranged from children to the elderly and from catechumens (not yet baptized) to clergy. Like the Good Shepherd Himself, these sheep were bound and led to where they did not want to go, but they did and did so all the while praising God and singing hymns. Such are the witnesses of the sheep of the Good Shepherd.
Are we faithful sheep of the Good Shepherd or have we fallen away by the allurements of the wolves? Let us pray today that we may truly be sheep who follows the Good Shepherd unreservedly, and leading other sheep to do the same.
