There was a line from scripture in the first reading at Mass this past Saturday from Micah, Chapter 7, the people of Israel call out to God to, “Shepherd your people with your staff.”I have always had a love and a deep attachment to Jesus as the good shepherd and after having just come back from Patagonia where sheep abound this scripture passage resonated with me.

The Lord as my shepherd has always touched me. Sheep are so utterly dependent on the shepherd. While I was away I saw a two sheep being sheared. In one instance the sheep knew the shepherd, whose name was Lucas and she was a female sheep, named Daphne whom had been shorn before. Daphne welcomed the shearing and as the scissors cut her wool she was a model of utter trust and surrender. I liken this to my utter love, desire and dependence on God.

I also watched another sheep shearing at another ranch. This time the sheep was a ram and the shepherd used a razor instead of scissors. In this instance the ram was kicking and bucking and resisting the shearing. The ram became so unmanageable the hand assisting the shepherd, put him back into his pen. After a few minutes he took him back out. This time, he was better prepared to handle his continued bucking and was able to shear him. As I watched the ram fight the shepherd; I saw myself in that ram. I recalled the times when I did not obey the Shepherd. The times I did not listen to God, and did not surrender to His will. I kicked. I screamed. I ranted. I raved. Just like the ram. So much wasted time and energy. If I only trusted and believed that the Shepherd knew me better than myself. He alone knows what is best for me.

While in Patagonia I learned that if sheep are not shorn they die. The weight of the wool will eventually prevent them from being able to stand up and eat. They would waste away covered in the mass of their own wool. This is definitely a symbol for me and the times in my life when I was overcome by my own missteps, my own unloving acts, my own decisions which were not in align with what Christ would want for me and what He taught. I was covered in my own wool and the growth around me isolated me and created a barrier between myself and God. The more that the wool grew the more I was suffocating and the less and less I could hear His voice. Now I see Jesus as my shearer and my savior, and it is only through Him that I can live and live life abundantly. I realize that the sacrament of reconciliation is the place for me to go to receive my shearing and to meet Jesus who has the scissors in his hand. He is there ready to free me.