Jesus instructed the Twelve as follows: ‘Remember, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; so be cunning as serpents and yet as harmless as doves.
In New Zealand, I watched as a rancher sheered sheep. The sheep were so docile that they hardly moved. It was winter and the rancher explained that he didn’t want to sheer too close to the skin of the animal to leave some degree of warmth from the cold. For this reason, he used hand clippers as opposed to electronic clippers. Extreme care by the rancher as he lovingly sheered his sheep. In the background of this scene there was the carcass of a slaughtered sheep hanging to dry before the rancher prepared the animal to feed his family and workers.
The rancher’s motives seemingly an antithesis or contradiction in motives are similar to the sheep and wolves of the Gospel. From a recent post on Facebook, “Jesus sat with sinners; He didn’t sin with them. Know the difference!” We have a mandate to evangelize (Matthew 28:16-20) and make a difference. We have to be in the world to effect change but we don’t have to become part of it.
Saint Benedict, whose feast we celebrate today, didn’t start out to be part of this world. He started out as a hermit and ended up attracting followers. He set his rule of monasticism as a balance of [1] 8 hours of sleep, [2] study and prayer, and [3] manual work. It was a balance of any human’s life and not just for monks or nuns in an abbey. This balance is intended for us as well.
Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now I can die, now that I have seen you again, and seen you still alive.’ The impossible can happen with God. Nonetheless, there are still wolves, devils and sin that can threaten our souls. The world is not fantasy land. Evil roams the world and all sheep must be on guard. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you. The sheep are not alone. The Holy Spirit will guide them. There must be a balance in our lives to protect ourselves from wolves. We have to depend on Jesus as did Saint Benedict, but we must balance our dependance with an eye on the wolves of the world.
When we walk with Jesus, we are walking in God’s Kingdom on Earth. Yes, there are wolves all around us. The Holy Spirit and our relationship with Jesus will pull us through. There may be real bumps and pain in the short run but in the end, Jesus will pull us through.
God Love You Always
Bob Burford
PS: Please Pray for the soul of our beloved Pontiff, Pope Francis and for his successor, Pope Leo. Please Pray for Cancer victims and their caregivers. Pray for the conversion of Russia and the salvation of the Ukrainian and Russian people and their soldiers. Pray for the Holy Land. Pray for peace! The impossible could and can happen. Never deny God.
