THE GIVING SHEPHERD
The Gospel JOHN 10:9-15
Jesus said, “I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” 
The Media               "Air Force One" final session
President James Marshall of the movie “Air Force One” was an extraordinary man. He had received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in Vietnam, and obviously from the movie, he was able to handle himself quite well despite uneven odds. But he was still the President. One would expect therefore that as things gradually turn toward the better, that the President should save himself, no matter what. Certainly, that is what everyone connected with him desired. But he does not. He wanted his family protected and he wanted the wounded, and even all of his staff taken care of before him. It is truly a courageous act, one in which President Marshall shows that he was willing to give up his life on behalf of others. To him, it was not courage, it was what should have been.
When one talks of courage and the giving of oneself on behalf of others, the Christian must necessarily think of Jesus, the person whom Christians regard as Savior, the person who died for the sins of humankind. In John’s Gospel, Jesus the Savior compares himself to a good shepherd, one who would lay down his life for his sheep. In the Christian scheme of things, Jesus gave up his life on behalf of others.

 We are not called to any significant act as Jesus was, or even as President James Marshall of "Air Force One" was, but we are called to give on behalf of others. Jesus reminds us many times in the Scriptures that we are expected as his followers to give to others. As we struggle in this world, everyone of us, Christian or not, must understand that the only way to lasting peace or just harmony is through the attitude of giving. Giving on behalf of others is not only the courageous thing to do; it could save our world.                           
THOUGHT
As you consider your life right now, what is the best way you can give to others?
 
PRAYER
Good and gracious God, Jesus, your Son, called himself the good shepherd who gave completely to the sheep, that is, he gave to us. He taught us the example of truly giving to others. Help us learn the lesson of giving, and grant us the grace to carry it out. Be with us, we pray.

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©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America