Reflection of Good Shepherd Sunday (John 10: 1-10)

“When he saw the large crowd, his heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9: 36; Mark 6: 34).

I have been out almost every day for relief operations during this pandemic. What do I see? Hunger, pain and misery.

People walking on the streets looking for food. People hiking aimlessly not knowing where to go, chasing every van or car that might give them something, anything. Some of them are so shabby; they have not gone to shower nor changed their clothes for weeks.

I saw old grandmothers or PWDs wait by the roadside hoping that someone with food passes by. Since they could not walk or run, they just show some placards saying: “Tulungan nyo po kami. Pagkain po.”
I saw small children crying for milk because their anguished mothers can no longer breastfeed them after eating just canned goods, and their weary fathers were not being able to work for the past two months.

I know of stranded construction workers who had to stay in their barrack with almost nothing. They could not claim relief from the barangay because they are not registered voters of the place. I saw jeepney drivers literally living on their jeepneys because they are locked down in Manila and could not drive to their homes and families.
But when I drive in the night, the roads are really empty. There is no one there except ambulances in sirens going to and fro. I begin to imagine how many people might have slept or remained awake but truly hungry. Driving alone and seeing all these, I feel a deep pain in my heart. I feel helpless, empty and in pain.
Then I begin to ask where might God be. When Jesus the Good Shepherd sees all these, his heart goes out to them, I know, but where is he? He sends us shepherds today but where are they?

The gospel today tells us of at least three kinds of shepherds.

1. FAKE SHEPHERDS. They look like one but they are not. They are robbers and thieves; they do not pass by the gate. They are only present during the good times; in difficult times, they chicken out. They ran because they are just paid. They have no love for the sheep. There are fake shepherds in the church. There are fake shepherds in government, too.

I ask why are we not prepared for any emergency like this pandemic? Where did our national resources go? What happened to our budget? Why are there no PPEs and just leave the doctors and nurses to fund raise for themselves? When the government has decided to let go of the fund, why is there no system to distribute it? Why do we see many old people lining up the streets under the noonday sun just to claim their social amelioration package of a few thousands? Did we not pay many government people to foresee what to do in any eventuality? Why are we not ready?

What did they do? Nothing. Where did they go? Nowhere. Like fake shepherds, they rob from their sheet and ran away. Now, they do not have to worry about food even if the lockdown goes on for months. What they have gotten from the coffers are more than enough even for years. After being given priority testing, they now hide in the comforts of their homes though in fear and panic that the virus may catch them anyway. And they have forgotten the people whom they have promised to serve during the campaigns.

2. VIOLENT SHEPHERDS. These leaders stand up to what is required of them at the moment. They want to project courage and resolve. They want to show themselves to be in total control. But they are violent too. They kill the sheep and destroy them.
Even before COVID-19 crisis, they have been already killing them – 33,000+ of them. They just come into the houses of the sheep and indiscriminately shoot them. Now, the families of the victims of these extrajudicial killings are the ones who suffer more. Having lost their fathers, all the more is there no hope for food for the children.

And the violence continues in the time of pandemic. “Shoot them dead!” You hear the command in his midnight ramblings going nowhere. What you see is a clueless leader who is not in full command. He could not even pronounce the word “virus” well, much less understand its medical complexity. The attempt at explanation is senseless. The thoughts are incoherent. What remains after these midnight press briefings are violent injunctions threatening everyone to obey or else.

His minions follow the leader to the letter. We hear of Winston Ragos who suffered from PTSD being shot at close range but blood thirsty policemen even as they heard cry from by standers nearby telling them of his conditions. We read of Michael Rubia – a poor fish vendor trying to get some money to buy rice for his family – being treated like pig even in front of a camera and protesting citizens trying to stop the mayhem. All you see around are men and women in full battle gear as if going to war – maybe thinking that the virus can be defeated by a machine gun or threatened by their new fatigue uniforms.

3. GOOD SHEPHERDS. But there are good shepherds too. They listen to their sheep and they know them by name. They take care of their needs. In turn, their sheep recognize their voice and they follow them. They risk their lives for their sheep.

There are selfless doctors and nurses, lab technicians and all health workers. They have their families too. But they risked their lives for the sheep. They risked not going home to their families to protect them. And for weeks now, they remain true to their promise to serve.

I saw grocery sales ladies, drivers, security guards who do not even have extra pay for placing themselves at risk. They do not have rides going home after a 12-hours duty. Some of them walk; others bike. And because of their meager income, they are very grateful for a meal offered to them on the streets as they walk home. With it, they can save a little money to be sent to their families.

I saw garbage workers who keep the city clean. They expose themselves to the virus coming from our trash. But they are just grateful that they can work for “their own sheep” at home.

I have seen fearless mothers – leaders of their Basic Ecclesial Communities – who go around their neighborhood giving pandesal each morning or rice or milk for babies. They have no work, too. They also get the same amount of food ration like the rest. But these women-shepherds risk their lives so that others may live.

To see a family burst in tears because the much needed rice came just on time when there is really nothing to cook is enough compensation for the risk these women take.

And both sheep and shepherd utter the words worthy of their deep humanity: “Salamat sa Diyos. Salamat.”


Daniel Franklin E. Pilario, C.M.
St Vincent SchoolofTheology - Adamson University
danielfranklinpilario@yahoo.com
05.03.2020