Harming the Sheep

"Harrassed and helpless" is how Jesus saw most of the Jews of the first century. Yes, many of them were confused about the faith, and had compromised with the world in numerous ways. Yet, it clearly is the religious leaders that Jesus is the most directly critical of in His condemnations. This is because the religious leaders are the ones who cause the majority of the sinful behaviors of the laity. In today's gospel He looks out at the people and does not say that they are "selfish and sinful" but "harrassed and helpless".

He goes one step further, though, to make it clear: He then says that they were "like sheep without a shepherd". Yes, Israel had "shepherds". The Pharisees and Sadduccees were the religious leaders, and the scribes and lawyers were their assistants. They were the "shepherds" but they were misleading the people so much it is as though they had no shepherd at all (and might have been better off they were really without instead of just "like" it).

The same is largely true today. I see all kinds of sinful behavior in the laity (and hear much of it in the confessional), but a very large percentage of these sinful behaviors are things that were encouraged (or not rebuked; which is almost worse) by their previous priests. I cannot count how many times people have said things like, "but my former priest Father So-and-so said it was ok" or "Father Whats-his-name told me to do it this way". Harrassed and helpless; like sheep without a shepherd. Make sure that you pray for disobedient priests; they need your prayers just as much as the faithful ones do.