Who are good shepherds?

Another “Good Shepherd” Sunday has come and gone.  This past weekend’s readings included Jesus saying, “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me … (John 10:14)”   The church teaches that ordained clergy follow in Jesus’ footsteps as “shepherds.”  However, do recent events such as the Vatican reprimanding U.S. religious sisters and censuring Irish priests conjure images of shepherds tenderly caring for sheep or ones of Don Quixote attacking and slaughtering them?

In Miguel Cervantes’ book, "Don Quixote" (Chapter 18), the title character beat the crap out of two herds of sheep.  He did this because in his delusion of himself as a knight-errant, he assumed the dust raised by the approaching flocks was actually caused by two advancing enemy armies.  Quixote ignored the sound advice of his "squire", Sancho Panza, who explained that they were actually approached by sheep rather than enemies.  But, Quixote rejected plain, simple truth to cling to his delusion.  Based upon this imagined threat born of delusion, and his accompanying delusions of grandeur associated with his noble “quest”, he attacked the sheep and killed seven.

Are the “threats” of the American religious sisters and Irish priests real or imagined?  The “threat” created by the censured Irish priests seems to be their open criticism of continued global mishandling of the church’s sexual abuse crisis and their insistence on greater clergy accountability.  The “threat” created by the chastised American religious sisters seems to be their emulation of Jesus with emphasis on offering corporal works of mercy more than judgmental moral lectures.  Are truth, accountability, advocacy for children and emulating Jesus threats? Are church leaders acting as good shepherds or as Don Quixote?  If shepherds don’t know or recognize their sheep, are they “good”? If they attack and slay their sheep, are they “good”?  

Whether on a local level where clergy bully and dismiss those who question and expect accountability or on a global level where the pope censures Irish priests who advocate for clergy accountability and chastises nuns who emulate Jesus’ actions, are sheep being mistaken for "the enemy”?  Wouldn’t it be nice if the church’s Don Quixotes stopped beating the crap out of sheep they delude themselves into thinking are enemy forces? 

Many people are inspired by Don Quixote’s “quest” as expressed in the lyrics of the song “The Impossible Dream” by Joe Darion (included at the end of this article).  Heard in isolation, those are very stirring sentiments.  But Quixote’s noble quest cannot be detached from the absurdities and harm caused by his delusional pursuit of that quest.  Many people enjoy Don Quixote’s absurdities because they create situational humor as he misinterprets reality and blunders.  However, the physical harm resulting from these blunders is endured by fictional characters.  When it’s real people suffering from real people’s delusions about imagined enemies, real people get hurt.  That’s not funny or inspiring.

In Don Quixote, the real shepherds protected their sheep from Quixote’s delusion-inspired attacks.  As of this writing, over 28,000 faithful Catholics have signed a petition at change.org defending sheep under attack, i.e., the American religious sisters.  In Ireland, hundreds of faithful Catholics protested at the Papal Nunciature (embassy) in Dublin, defending sheep under attack, i.e., the five censured Irish priests.  Who are the “good shepherds”?    

The Psalm this past weekend states, “The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone (Psalm 118).”  Are the religious women and censured priests, those rejected by the self-acclaimed church builders, the true cornerstones?

This past weekend’s Psalm also said, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”  Should we trust in those who emulate the Lord’s passion for the ill and impoverished or the princes of the church who chastise them?   Should we trust in those who emulate the Lord’s passion for truth and advocacy for children or the princes of the church who chastise them?  

“The Impossible Dream” music by Mitch Leigh, lyrics by Joe Darion

To dream ... the impossible dream ...
To fight ... the unbeatable foe ...
To bear ... with unbearable sorrow ...
To run ... where the brave dare not go ...
To right ... the unrightable wrong ...
To love ... pure and chaste from afar ...
To try ... when your arms are too weary ...
To reach ... the unreachable star ...

This is my quest, to follow that star ...
No matter how hopeless, no matter how far ...
To fight for the right, without question or pause ...
To be willing to march into Hell, for a Heavenly cause ...

And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest,
That my heart will lie peaceful and calm,
when I'm laid to my rest ...
And the world will be better for this:
That one man, scorned and covered with scars,
Still strove, with his last ounce of courage,
To reach ... the unreachable star ...