Jesus saith to Simon Peter: Simon son of John, lovest thou me more than these? He saith to him: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He saith to him: Feed my lambs.--St. John 21: 15

This Sunday goes under the name of the Good Shepherd Sunday, because, in the Mass, there is read the Gospel of St. John, wherein our Lord calls himself by this name. How very appropriate is this passage of the Gospel to this present Season, when our Divine Master began His work of establishing and consolidating the Church, by giving it the Pastor, or Shepherd, who was to govern it to the end of time!

In accordance with the eternal decree, the Man-God, on the fortieth day after His Resurrection, is to withdraw His visible presence from the world. He is not to be again seen upon the earth till the Last Day, when He will come again to judge the living and the dead. And yet, He could never abandon mankind, for which He offered himself on the Cross, and which He delivered from death and hell by rising triumphantly from the Grave. He will continue to be its Head after His Ascension into heaven: but what shall we have, on earth, to supply His place? We shall have the Church. It is to the Church that He will leave all His own authority to rule us; it is into the hands of the Church that He will intrust all the truths He has taught; it is the Church that He will make the dispenser of all those means of salvation, which He has destined for the world.

This Church is a society, unto which all mankind is invited. It is composed of two classes of Members; the governing and the governed; the teaching and the taught; the sanctifying and the sanctified. This Society is the Spouse of Christ; it is by her that He produces His elect. She is the one only Mother of the elect; out of her bosom, there is no salvation.

But how is this society to subsist? how is it to persevere through the long ages of time, even to the Last Day? who is to give it unity and adhesion of its parts? what is to be the visible link between its members, the palpable sign of its being the true Spouse of Christ, in the event of other societies rising up and disputing her titles? If Jesus Himself could have remained with us, we should have had nothing to fear, for where He is, there also are truth and life; but, as He says, He is going, and we may not as yet follow him. Give ear, then, and learn what is the primary quality of the true Spouse of Christ.

Jesus was one day, previous to His Passion, in the country of Cesarea Philippi; His Apostles were standing around him, and he began questioning them about what they thought of Him. One of them, Simon the son of John or Jonas, and brother to Andrew, answered in the name of all, and said: Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God (St. Matth. xvi. 16)! Jesus expressed His pleasure at receiving Simon's testimony, which was not the result of any human knowledge, but the expression of a divine revelation there and then granted to him; and He immediately told this Apostle, that from that time forward he was to be, not Simon, but Peter (which means a Rock). Christ had been spoken of by the Prophets under the name of a Rock, or Stone (Is. xxviii. 16); by thus solemnly conferring upon His Disciple a title so characteristically that of the Messias, Jesus would give us to understand, that Simon was to have a something in common with Himself, which the other Apostles were not to have. After saying to him: Thou art Peter, (that is, thou art the Rock,) He added: And upon this Rock I will build My Church (St. Matth. xvi. 18).

Let us weigh the force of these words of the Son of God: I will build my Church. He has, then, a project in view, He intends to build a Church. It is not now that He will build it, but at some future period; but one thing we already know as a certainty, it is, that this Church will be built on Peter. Peter will be its foundation; and whosoever is not on that foundation, will not belong to the Church. Let us again give ear to the Text: And the gates of hell shall not prevail against My Church. In scriptural language, gates signify the powers: the Church of Christ, therefore, is to be proof against all the efforts of hell. And why? Because the foundation, which Jesus is to give to it, shall be one that no power can shake. The Son of God continues: And I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. In the language of the Jews, keys signify the power of governing; and in the Gospel Parables, the Kingdom of Heaven is the Church built by Christ. By saying to Peter, (which is henceforth to be Simon's name,) I will give to thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus implied this: "I will make thee the King of My Church, of which thou art to be the Foundation!" Nothing could be clearer. But let us remember, that all these magnificent promises regard the future (Ibid. xvi).

That future has now become the present. We are now come to the last days of Jesus' visible presence here below. The time is come for Him to make good His promise, and found the Kingdom of God, that Church which He was to build upon the earth. The Apostles, in obedience to the order sent them by the Angels, are come into Galilee. Our Lord appears to them on the shore of the lake of Tiberias: after providing them with a mysterious repast, and whilst they are all attentive to His words, He suddenly addresses himself to Peter: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me (St. John, xxi. 15)? Observe, He does not call him Peter; He, as it were, goes back to the day when He said to him: Simon, son of Jonas, thou art Peter; He would have His Disciples note the connection between the promise and its actual fulfilment. Peter, with his usual eagerness, answers his Master's question: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus resumes, with a tone of authority: Feed my Lambs! Then repeating the question, He says: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter is surprised at his Master's urging such an inquiry; still, he answers with the same simplicity as before: Yea, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee: and as soon as he had given answer, Jesus repeats the words of investiture: Feed my lambs!

The Disciples respectfully listen to this dialogue; they see plainly, that, here again, Peter is made an object of Jesus' partiality, and is receiving a something which they themselves are not to receive. They remember what happened at Cesarea Philippi, and how, ever since that day, Peter has been treated by their Master with especial honour. And yet, there is another privilege or office to be added to this of feeding the Lambs. A third time, then, Jesus says to Peter: Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? This is too much for the Apostle. These three questionings of his love bring to his mind the three denials he had so sinfully made to the servant girl of Caiphas. He feels the allusion to his recent infidelity; and this third time, his answer implies a prayer for forgiveness; his reply bespeaks humility rather than assurance: Lord! says he, thou knowest all things! Thou knowest that I love thee! Then, making Peter's authority complete, Jesus pronounces these imposing words: Feed my Sheep (St. John, xxi. 17)!

Here, then, we have Peter made Shepherd by Him, Who says of himself: I am the good Shepherd. Firstly, our Lord gives His Apostle, and twice over, the care of His Lambs; this does not make him the complete Shepherd: but when He bids him feed His Sheep too, the whole Flock is subjected to his authority. Now, therefore, let the Church show herself, let her take her stand, let her spread herself through the length and breadth of the nations; Simon, the son of John, is proclaimed its visible Head. Is the Church a Building? he is the Foundation-Stone, the Petra, the Rock. Is she a Kingdom,? he holds the Keys, that is, the sceptre. Is she a Fold? he is the Shepherd.

Yes, this Church, which Jesus is now organizing, and is to be proclaimed to the world on the day of Pentecost, is to be a Fold. The Word, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is come down from heaven, that He may gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed (Ibid. xi. 52); and the time is at hand when there shall be but one Fold and one Shepherd (Ibid. x. 16). O Jesus! our Divine Shepherd! we bless Thee, we give Thee thanks. It is by thee that the Church, thou art now founding, subsists and lives through every age, congregating and saving all that put themselves under her guidance. Her authority, her strength, her unity, all come from Thee, her infinitely powerful and merciful Shepherd! We likewise bless and thank Thee for that Thou hast secured this authority, this strength, this unity, by giving us Peter as Thy Vicar, Peter our Shepherd in and by Thee, Peter to whom all, both Sheep and Lambs, owe obedience, Peter in whom Thou, our Divine Head, will be for ever visible, even to the end of the world!

Divine Shepherd of our souls! how great is Thy love for thy Sheep! Thou givest even Thy life to save them. The fury of wolves does not make Thee flee from us; Thou becomest their prey, that we may escape. Thou diedst in our stead, because thou wast our Shepherd. We are not surprised at Thy requiring from Peter a greater love than thou requiredst from his Brother Apostles: thou willedst to make him their and our Shepherd. Peter answered Thee, without hesitation, that he loved Thee; and thou conferredst upon him Thine own name, together with the reality of Thy office, in order that he might supply Thy place after Thy departure from this world. Be Thou blessed, O Divine Shepherd! for Thy having thus provided for the necessities of Thy Fold, which could not be One, were it to have many Shepherds without one supreme Shepherd. In obedience to Thy command, we bow down before Peter, with love and submission; we respectfully kiss his sacred feet; for it is by him that we are united to thee; it is by him that we are Thy Sheep.

Preserve us, O Jesus, in the Fold of Peter, which is Thine. Keep far from us the hireling, who usurps the place and rights of the Shepherd. He has intruded himself, or been intruded by violence, into the Fold, and would have us take him as the master; but he knows not the Sheep, and the Sheep do not know him. Led, not by zeal, but by avarice and ambition, he flieth at the approach of danger. He that governs through worldly motives, is not a man to lay down his life for others. The schismatic Pastor loves himself; he does not love Thy Sheep; how could he give his life for them? Protect us, O Jesus, from this hireling! He would separate us from Thee, by separating us from Peter, whom thou hast appointed Thy Vicar ; and we are determined to recognise no other. Anathema to him who would command us in Thy name, and yet not be sent by Peter! Such a Pastor could be but an impostor; he would not rest on the Foundation; he would not have the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; to follow him would be our ruin. Grant, then, Good Shepherd, Jesus! that we may ever keep close to thee, and to Peter; that as he rests upon Thee, we may rest upon him; and thus we may defy every tempest, for thou, dear Lord, hast said : A wise man built his house upon a Rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not; for it was founded on a Rock (St. Matth. vii. 24, 25).

O Jesus, the true light which enlighteneth every man coming into this world, grant, I beseech thee, by the merits of Thy passion and death, that all errors and heresies may be driven back into darkness; that all mankind may behold the light of Thy truth, and may hasten into the bosom of Thy holy Church. Oh, good Shepherd, who hast given thy life for Thy sheep, protect Thy flock, and defend it from the strength and the snares of those who come upon it in the clothing of lambs, but are, in reality, ravenous wolves. Grant that all may follow one Shepherd and that all may form only one flock. Stay with us, O Lord, according to thy promise, "Behold I am with you all days, even until the consummation of the world." Shew that Thy church is built upon a rock, and that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it. Amen.

The allegory under which Our Lord represents to us His undying love and never-wearying care, was drawn from a picture which is often looked upon, and may be seen in all its minutest particulars in the East, even at the present day. The shepherd in Palestine is a very different character from the shepherds we are accustomed to see among ourselves. He does not, as with us, drive his sheep before him; to do so would in many instances be to urge them on to certain destruction. He goes before them, to see that the mountain-paths are practicable, to remove obstructions, and to find suitable pastures for them. The sheep are so well trained by him that they know his voice; for if he sees them straying from the flock, or loitering behind, or climbing into dangerous places, he calls to them and rebukes them, and they know his voice; for if a stranger call to them they at once lift up their heads, stand for a moment irresolute, and then perhaps rush off in alarm, and with headlong speed. The shepherd goes before them, wellarmed and prepared to defend them from harm, whether that threaten them either from wild beasts, or from robbers. Often he himself is in peril of death, and at times the shepherd is actually overpowered and slain by the wild Arabs of the desert, who rush in upon him and kill him. His tenderness and gentle care are shown, both by the way in which he accommodates his speed to the condition of the flock, and from the love with which he lifts the weak and tender lambs into his arms, and bears them in his bosom. And should he miss one, which has strayed, or climbed into danger, he goes at once, and often at the peril of his own life, bears back the wanderer upon his shoulders to the fold.

In each of these qualities of a good shepherd, you have a most faithful picture of Jesus Christ, the true Shepherd of your soul. Each one of you is intimately known to Him, as intimately as if you were His only child. All your failings and shortcomings are before His eyes. All your necessities, your struggles, your difficulties, your aspirations, lie open before Him. All your past, whether it has been good or bad, is to Him as an open book, upon whose pages are traced the thoughts which have passed through your minds, the desires you have conceived in your hearts, the words you have spoken, the actions you have done. There is no secret corner veiled from His sight. There is no depth into which His eyes do not penetrate. He is well aware of all the difficulties which stand in your way, and prevent you from being virtuous. He knows that it is mostly up-hill work for you, with many a tangled, thorny thicket to be passed through, and many a slippery path to be carefully trodden, before you can stand in safety. But remember, He goes before you, to clear a passage through the thorns, and to make firm the uncertain foothold. Whatever may cause you pain in your upward journey, has first of all pained Him. You are the little ones of His flock. Oh, how tenderly does He love the young--the young boy whose soul is just looking out into the world of sense, and, finding it so fair, so attractive--and the world of the spirit, so hard and so wearisome! Like the shepherd, He carries you in His very bosom, and shelters you there from the storm, and beguiles the weariness of the journey. The wolves which prowl about to tear and to destroy, He keeps at a safe distance. He sustains your feeble life with His own body and blood, and should you unhappily stray, and become entangled in the briars and thorns of sin, He goes forth to seek you and draws you thence, more tenderly than the tenderest mother, and, bearing you back in His bosom, restores you to the fold where alone safety and true happiness are to be found.

In return for this unutterable love, you owe to your Shepherd a very deep debt of gratitude. But how are you to pay it? You cannot give anything to God, which He will accept more graciously, than the entire and undivided love of your heart. If you love Him, you will keep near to Him by extreme purity of life, fearing to offend Him even in such matters as most people would esteem trivial. You will hearken to His voice, by following the inward promptings and inspirations of His Holy Spirit, Who will secretly draw you after Him into yet more perfect ways. You will close your eyes to the tempting pastures which lie on either side of you, almost within your reach; you will turn away from them, be they never so fair, and press onward, treading in the footsteps of Him Who goes before you. But if you love Him not, you will stray away and put yourself beyond His reach, you will fall away from the body of the flock, and then the prowling robber or the lurking wolf will seize upon, slay, and devour you. Jesus, your Shepherd, has put a visible shepherd in His place, who must be obeyed and followed with the same docility, as if He Himself were present and called you with His divine voice. This shepherd is your prefect or your master. He has at times to make you walk in hard, and difficult ways--ways very displeasing to flesh and blood. Hearken to his voice, for the Good Shepherd has said: "He that heareth you, heareth Me." Follow his counsels. Shun what he bids you avoid. Forego those pastures which seem to you so pleasant, so far removed from danger. Remember, your shepherd stands on the mountain-top. He commands the whole situation. He can see danger where you see none. Therefore trust him, be obedient to him and very docile, and he will guide you safely to the fold of the Good Shepherd, into which no robber can enter to steal, nor prowling wolf leap over to kill and to destroy.