Good Shepherd Sunday, Bulletin column by Father Nathan

Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season, wherein we find in the cycle of readings of the Lectionary for each year a Gospel passage from John Chapter 10 taken from the “Good Shepherd Discourse.”  Which means that for many years now this Sunday has been known as Good Shepherd Sunday, and as an opportunity for the Church to pray and reflect upon the call to priesthood in the Church.  It is in the DNA of the Church, one could say, to always have Christ acting in his role as the Good Shepherd, doing so through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.  Bishops exercise this role in the fullest sense, with Deacons and Priests also sharing this same role in different ways. 

The arrival of Good Shepherd Sunday this particular year brings me face to face with a theological question of identity with which I have been praying and wrestling for several weeks now.  What does it mean to “be” a priest, and to “be” a shepherd when so many of the things that priests “do” I have not been able to do of late given our public health emergency restrictions?  Is priesthood merely a function of tasks, or, is there something deeper at work in the identity of who and what a priest is that this whole Covid experience has raised up for consideration?

In April and also in May, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee has moved/ is moving ahead with ordinations to the transitional diaconate and also to the priesthood, even though virtually no one is allowed at the Cathedral or Seminary for these celebrations.  The men, once ordained, are not really be able to “do” anything given our limited circumstances.  Why not delay ordinations then, as many other dioceses have opted to do, since the men cannot “do” anything anyway? 

I would say Milwaukee is on the right track with its decision not to delay but to ordain as scheduled.  While priesthood is definitely inherently a relational reality (shepherd to flock and vise versa), it is not merely a matter of tasks.  In some deep and mysterious manner, a priest is a priest in the depth of his soul and being, even if he, for example, cannot offer Mass anymore because of ill health perhaps. In ordination, Christ draws a man to himself and configures him accordingly, so that the very essence of the role of shepherd in the Church is unfailingly present in his life and in his person. In priesthood, a man makes the decision to answer God’s call to hand his life over to God’s disposal completely, giving God the permission to act through him in any manner God deems most appropriate for the building up of the Church and of the world.  In that exchange, Christ the Shepherd who offered himself completely to the Father, always becomes present. In that way, the faithful always know they have never been abandoned, because for them there is always a living, breathing, visible shepherd they can look to as a pastor.

In this way they, and the Church, remain grounded, even when public sacraments are not celebrated and our visible ministries have in so many ways ground to a halt.  The priests are still among us.
 The Masses are still being offered even if in private.  The prayers are still being offered.  The decisions of leadership are still being made.  The matters of salvation do still rest in earthly, living hands. It may all look different, but in its mysterious way it is still…. Priesthood. 
 
I  have been blessed these past few weeks to realize that you, the faithful, do indeed intuitively recognize this sacramental dynamic that exists in our Catholic understanding.  I know I speak for Father Andrew as well in saying that we remain very blessed to be your shepherds even in these unusual times and circumstances when many of our “tasks” have changed.  Thank you for praying for us, and for all priests.  Know of our daily prayers for all of you.
-Father Nathan