'We Are His People: The Sheep of His Flock'

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Herald Columnist
(From the issue of 6/16/05)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde during the Mass for the 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Arlington on June 12.

Today’s Psalm Refrain summarizes the theme of both the first reading and the Gospel account just proclaimed in our hearing: “We are his people: the sheep of his flock.” Yes, we who are baptized are chosen and called to be God’s people, to announce that Jesus is Lord and to both invite and lead everyone to Him, Who is “the Way, the Truth and the Life.” God’s words spoken to the Israelites and proclaimed in our first reading are also spoken to us as members of the new Israel: “ … you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people … . You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Today’s Gospel account recalls for us the call and missioning of the Twelve Apostles. “Jesus sent out these twelve … ” to proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Through baptism, everyone in the Church shares in this call and missioning to proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom, which is to proclaim that Jesus is Lord, the Savior of the world.

In a very specific manner, we are being reminded during this Sacred Liturgy that we are called and missioned to evangelize. Years ago, Pope Paul VI taught us that evangelization lies at the core of the Church’s mission; the Church exists to evangelize. Since we belong to the Church from baptism onwards, since we too have been strengthened by the Holy Spirit to participate, each through his or her own vocation, in the Church’s mission, then we have a fundamental responsibility to make Jesus and His Gospel of Truth known and, as I said earlier, to both invite and lead people to Jesus, Who alone is the Savior of the World.

We evangelize others even as we ourselves are being evangelized. This means that we must daily turn towards the Lord, allowing Him to covert us and to draw us closer to Him. That is why daily prayer and the reception of the sacraments, especially penance and Eucharist, are essential for our growing in holiness, for becoming more genuine evangelizers. Our personal example, that is, our witness to Jesus in daily life, is an attractive and often powerful instrument, used by God to bring people to His saving love revealed by Jesus His Son and our Lord and Savior.

So, these questions must be asked. Are we attracting people to Jesus by the witness of our faith, by the example of our lives? Do we also look for opportunities and seize them to invite people to think about God and the Savior He sends us in Jesus? Do we make the connection between living a life rooted in Jesus with the circumstances and events of everyday life? Do we bring the truth of the Gospel and the moral principles rooted in this truth into our discussions and actions regarding the issues facing us in society?

Centuries ago, St. Peter Chrysologus described so clearly and concisely the connection between our faith and our relationships with others. He was, back in the fifth century, describing in practical ways how we evangelize those around us. I share with you his words. “Let the husband lead his wife to faith, so that what is one in the flesh may not be divided in spirit. Let a friend draw a friend to salvation, so that he may ground human love on divine grace. Let the citizen usher the foreigner, the head of the household usher the guest to God’s table, so that with no cost to himself he may be generous from God’s abundance … How does one believe that he is a Christian if he does lead to Christ the aged and the old?”

You and I are so blessed to be members of God’s people, the sheep of his flock. We have been given freely the gift of faith. What the Lord asks us to do is to both live that faith — our relationship with Jesus within the Church, and to lead others to live in a similar way, by becoming one with Jesus themselves within the Church. As He tells us in the last line of today’s Gospel: “Without cost you have received; without cost, you are to give.”

Even as we strive to be generous in our baptismal responsibility to evangelize, the Lord sends us His representatives to continue forming us for this Gospel work. Through their teaching and preaching, through their sacramental celebrations and through their guidance and leadership, the bishops and priests equip and strengthen all the members of the Church for the work of evangelization. Our diocesan Church was blessed yesterday (June 11, 2005) to be given four new priests, who will share with me the pastoral care of God’s people. Please pray for them: Father Ramon Baez, Father Daniel Hanley, Father Andrew Heintz and Father James Searby, asking the Lord to keep them always priests formed after the Heart of Christ. Please pray for me too, that all of us priests who form the one Presbyterate of Arlington may serve all our people faithfully and generously, thereby enabling you to be faithful yourselves as His people, the sheep of his flock, and to proclaim that Jesus is Lord by the daily witness of your faith-filled lives. Yes, “We are his people: the sheep of his flo

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