WHAT IT MEANS TO BE GOOD
Author: Fr. Michael Byron
April 24, 2021
Maybe two of the most
over-used words in the English language are the words “good” and “bad”. Not because they aren’t useful words, but
because they are used so often without us giving any thought to what they
mean. And frequently enough the word
“good” means nothing more than a description of something I happen to like, and
“bad” refers to something or someone who displeases me. But that’s a pretty thoughtless way to throw around
such important words. Yet we do it all
the time. And it gets even more fuzzy
when we confuse the ideas of “good” and “bad” with describing human beings
rather than the things they do or the way they behave. For example, if I ask a friend to recommend a
“good” car mechanic, what am I looking for? Someone who is honest rather than
deceitful? Someone who is cheaper than
other mechanics? Or more reliable? Or friendlier? What does “good” mean?
Or how about a health care
provider, what makes one “good” or “bad”? Is it someone who always tells me
what I want to hear? Who never
challenges me to live in a healthier way? Or is it someone who doesn’t keep me
waiting in the office for 45 minutes before seeing me? What does “good” mean?
Or what about a teacher? Is a “good” one the one who is kind and
encouraging no matter what? Or is he/she demanding and critical? Or is it the one who keeps order the in the
classroom, or one who makes learning fun. What does “good” mean?
Or who is the good athlete? Is it the one who puts up the best statistics but is a prima donna and a
sore loser? Or is the encouraging teammate whose greater concern is for “us”
rather than for “me”? What does “good” mean?
Or what makes for a “good” church minister, whether ordained
or lay? Is it the one who is strict with
the rules, or the one who is attentive to being broadly welcoming? What or who is a “good” pastor, as distinct
from a “bad” one?
What do the words really mean when we use them so
carelessly? The first for any Christian
to know is that the words “good” and “bad” don’t ever refer to the dignity of
one of God’s creatures, whether it is a child or an animal. When people
sometimes shout out in anger that “you’re a bad girl/boy “or a “bad dog”, it
doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with that being as such. It means only that the person or animal has
done a “bad” thing – at least as I understand the word “bad”. There is no such thing as the “bad” person
that God ever made or that bad person that Jesus ever loved. We
cause a lot of harm when we forget that. By the very fact that we are here, we are “good.”
But at the same time, it’s possible for a person to be good
or bad in carrying out some specific tasks or responsibilities. I’d be a “bad”
car mechanic or tech support guy or health care provider because I don’t know
how to do any of these things.
To be good or bad in a particular role is very
possible. We just need to be very clear
about what we mean when we use these words, which mean we have to know what is
expected of us. Why does any of this
matter? Because Jesus in today’s gospel of John calls himself the “Good
Shepherd”. What does that mean? What makes a shepherd good or not; and how do
we recognize one when he/she appears to us? That’s especially important because Jesus himself was not a shepherd
while he lived in this world. He’s using an image – a figure of speech to help
us to know what a shepherd is and what he does when he is being a “good”
one.
We flat landers here in Minnesota don’t have a lot of
experience with shepherds and sheep, even though there are still lots of
shepherd in the world, and fact it’s one of the oldest professions of all –
dating back thousands of years. But
usually shepherding happens in climates unlike ours, which is a first clue into
what being a good shepherd means. Shepherding usually happens in more desolate places, where there aren’t
a lot of people around and there can be a fair amount of danger from predictors
like wolves and bandits. The first task
of a good shepherd is to protect the flock, to keep them safe from whatever
threats may be lying in wait, especially when the sheep may be unaware. And related to that, a good shepherd keeps
the flock healthy and productive, so that it can provide milk and wool and the
conditions for giving birth to new lambs. And a good shepherd is one who is willing to be mobile – able to move
from place to place because the sheep need to do that too as they search for
food. A good shepherd is not the same as
a good farmer, who stays in one place with the crops. The shepherd is willing to place him/herself
at the service of the ones entrusted to such care, so that he/she often lives without
a stable home, sleeping in tents on the beds of trucks, on the desert
ground. A good shepherd’s life is not a
comfortable one. And a good shepherd, because he/she goes along with the sheep,
comes to know them, and they know the shepherd, who stays with them. Sheep are very good at learning to recognize
other creatures either as trust worthy friends or as sources of danger. The good shepherd knows which sheep belong in
the fold and which do not. And, more importantly, the sheep come to understand
the same thing.
And above all as Jesus emphasizes especially in today’s
gospel, the truly good shepherd is the one where primary responsibility is
keeping everyone together – one flock in the care of one shepherd. This is the natural instinct of sheep
anyway. Healthy sheep are very aware of
all the creatures around them, whether friendly or not, and they are readily
inclined to wonder off by themselves. Which means that when they do something wrong, someone’s in trouble, and
they must be brought back.
All this is the promise from the one who is pleased to be
known to us as out “good” shepherd. Interestingly in this gospel contrast the Good Shepherd with the
imagined “Bad Shepherd.” No, the one who
doesn’t assume these duties in a not a “bad shepherd.” Rather he or she is not a shepherd at all –
they are the so-called higherlings, unworthy of the dignity of the shepherd’s
title.
All this is our promise and gift if we will only say yes to
our shepherd, who himself defines what it means to be “good”, and who summons
us to be / do the same for one another.
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