THE TEXT BELOW IS THE TRANSCRIPTION OF THE VIDEO COMMENTARY BY FR. FERNANDO ARMELLINI

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Happy Easter! 

The most well-known image of Jesus is the Good Shepherd caring for his flock, with the sheep on his shoulders. It is always the most cherished image among Christians. However, note immediately that the gospel today does not speak specifically of the ‘Good Shepherd,’ but of the ‘Real, authentic Shepherd.’ 

The adjective used is not ‘agazós’, meaning ‘good’, but ‘καλός’, meaning ‘charming, beautiful, lovely’. In fact, the evangelist isn’t focusing on the goodness of Jesus but on his charm. The charm that we’re then called to express on our faces. We love beauty and are drawn to charm. 

The author of Sirach states in chapter 40: “Beauty and grace are a pleasure for the eyes, but even better is a green field” (40:22). We love the sunrise, the mountains, the sea, the flowers, and the grace with which the wind moves the trees like a dance. What do writers, poets, and musicians do? They translate beauty into their language. Why is everything beautiful appreciated? Because beautiful things reflect the infinite beauty of God. We are made for beauty because we are made for God. 

There is an expression we all want to hear: ‘What a lovely person!’ It describes someone who is kind, educated, helpful, gentle, and respectful. A lovely person. We all wish someone would say that about us. Jesus also said that his disciples should be lovely people… when he tells them, ‘You are the light of the world,’ so they can showcase their good works. The translation says: ‘good’… NO – it should be lovely. Then, when Jesus presented himself as the Lovely Shepherd, the leaders of the Jews were outraged; they thought he was a furious madman, and ultimately, they sought to stone him. Why? In a place where everyone is bad, ugly, and sore, a lovely person arrives… initially, they did not realize they were bad and ugly, but when a beautiful person shows up, they become aware of their condition. They realize their true state. They can also be disturbed by the presence of someone so different from themselves. 

In the Old Testament, prophets spoke of the shepherds of Israel. Ezekiel, in chapter 34, describes these village leaders as shepherds and says: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel that they kill the sheep instead of feeding them … they do not strengthen the weak, nor do they heal the sick … nor seek the lost! They are cruel, violent people … the flock is disbanded, and they are prey to all the wild beasts …” 

In this situation, Jesus will say that the crowd was “like sheep without a shepherd.” At this moment, a lovely, beautiful shepherd appears. Those who were bad shepherds were upset because they wanted to maintain the status quo. Everything worked well for them. All were equal, and therefore they did not even realize they were bad shepherds. Listen to how Jesus presents himself to these guides of the people of Israel. 

At that time, Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

This expression will appear several times in today`s text: “I am the Shepherd … the lovely one”: “ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός”. “Ho poinén ho kalós.” First of all: “I am …”. It is a very important expression because the self-presentation of God is the name by which God presented Himself to Moses: “I am.” Therefore, when Jesus uses this expression, it means: ‘here I present the face of God’ – the face of a lovely God, a face to contemplate… For there is also a face of God that is ‘bad’. 

A survey conducted in the United States found that atheists are very few, making up only 5%. However, only 22% of people have a benevolent image of God—a God who is good and only good. The remaining 67% hold a distorted view of God: an authoritarian, distant figure who is not interested in human problems; a condemning, righteous, punishing God. This negative perception of God contributes to a society that is not lovely, because those who worship such a God tend to reproduce this image. As a result, an ideal of a man emerges—one who is a dominator, someone made to be served, who imposes himself on others and expects others to be under his control. Many people see God in this way, which reflects a flawed image. 

Therefore, when Jesus presents himself as the loving shepherd, it means: look upon my face, the beautiful and kind image of God. He is truly attractive and compassionate. It is important to contemplate this beauty and to feel the pleasure of being loved unconditionally by Him. Let’s now see what makes Jesus’ face beautiful. We have already heard the first characteristic of this beauty: it is the one who offers his life for the sheep. 

The verb used here is not ‘donate his life’ because we would immediately think of the gift of his life on Calvary. Instead, another verb is used: ‘τίθημι’ (tízemi) – the one who puts his life, meaning he puts forward his proposal of man, a truly beautiful, lovely man. He sets his life before us so that we can confront the beauty of man and reproduce it. 

In his first letter to the persecuted Christians of Asia Minor, Peter says: ‘Be lovely in our conduct towards the pagans.’ You must reflect the face of the Lovely Shepherd. And then there will be those who speak ill of you, the evildoers, but you must respond with beautiful works.’ Let’s now listen to how those who are not shepherds are described in the gospel. 

A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and runs away. The wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 

To highlight another characteristic of the Lovely Shepherd, Jesus describes the hired man and contrasts him with the shepherd. The hired man does not get personally involved in the flock’s life. The only thing that interests him is payment at the end of the day. He is not concerned with the fate of the sheep; he no longer worries. It is the contrast between acting out of self-interest and acting out of free love. 

Love, one of the qualities of the beauty of Jesus of Nazareth, is offered to each of us. He presents this beauty to us: unconditional love. Instinctively, we tend to act out of self-interest. When we do something, we naturally think about our benefit—what advantages will I gain from my actions? At least someone will notice that I am doing something good. Then, when we step back and consider even in the long run our own profit, we obscure this beauty that we should reflect on our faces. 

The beauty of the kind shepherd, Jesus of Nazareth, who acts out of pure selflessness. By the way, many people are beautiful in this way. Think, for example, of those Christians who spend their weekends dedicated to their community, working in the parish or volunteering to help those in need. 

This is a fact. Perhaps we have also noticed that someone is very lazy, judging by what these ‘beautiful’ people do. They get upset about this beauty, about this gratuity … and say: “Well, if he does it, it is because he likes it; otherwise, he would not be bothered.” These ‘beautiful’ people ignore him and continue to work, even without expecting any recognition for the work they do … not even any recognition from his parish priest. 

Those who serve voluntarily, finding joy in seeing others happy, reflect the beauty of their Shepherd on their faces. What do the hired workers—those not genuinely interested in the flock—do? They see the wolf approaching—the traditional enemy of the sheep, symbolizing the forces of evil and hostile powers—and they leave. What does the wolf do? The wolf does not kill the sheep; it cannot destroy the life of the Eternal present in every human being, but it can scatter the sheep from the flock. And then they no longer follow the good shepherd. The wolf can scatter them; it can make them stray from the path. 

Sometimes we talk about youth who have gone astray or about society that has become perverted. This is the result of the wolf’s actions. And the mercenaries, the hired men, those who work for interest, are not concerned with what happens; they think only of themselves. We have a whole spirituality from the past that grew out of thinking about the merits accumulated in heaven. And those who did something good, deep down, did it out of interest. 

It is a very subtle form of selfishness. This selfishness makes us coarse. The person who works or does good deeds does so freely because love is beautiful. Therefore, the one who loves does not think about themselves. Consider the situation where brothers and sisters might be in danger because of the wolf. The one who loves must be alert to these wolves. 

Each era has had its wolves. They have always been given a name, but most of the time they remain anonymous and thus more dangerous. It is crucial to identify some of these wolves because they pose a threat. For instance, the wolves that introduce moral decline into society, for whom there is no distinction between right and wrong… “everyone does it”… the meaning of what makes us ‘beautiful’ and what makes us ‘gross’ is lost. 

They are wolves who embody a false model of man, whose ideal of life is ‘I do what I want.’ The one who reveals this idea is a wolf because he commits evil. He or she takes away the joy of living and the ‘beauty’ of society because the ‘beautiful’ person is someone who loves, not someone who only does what he or she likes. They are also wolves who distort the taste for beauty, presenting as beautiful what is actually gross. The mercenary, the hired hand… who thinks God will reward him, will be paid at the end of his life, and thinks only of himself. 

Instead, those who want to imitate the Shepherd’s face pay attention to what happens around them and watch for wolves that can harm the brothers and sisters. This is a duty of those leading the Christian community. Therefore, when a mindset contrary to the gospel appears, they must call it out because it is dangerous. Parents should also be concerned about these wolves. They certainly care about some wolves but not others. 

Sometimes they don’t even realize that, by making certain life choices and adopting certain behaviors, their children will become unappealing, unpleasant, and unattractive. When someone wants to start a romantic relationship, what should they do? The young man tries to present himself as ‘handsome.’ A young man who didn’t care about shaving starts shaving three times a day because he wants to look good and win the person he loves. Jesus wants all of us to be involved in a loving marital relationship. 

This is the image the Bible uses. There is no need for a report, as there is with the hired man. When the spirituality of Jesus is accepted, it is not like the past, when we relied on the spirituality of ‘merits’—that era has passed. Doing good to receive payment at the end of life is the most subtle form of selfishness. Participation in free spousal love with God and Christ is expressed in the Bible by a very important verb: ‘to know.’ The verb ‘to know’ signifies spousal love. 

The deep understanding a husband and wife have of each other. This is also the image Jesus uses in today’s passage. Let’s listen. 

I am the good shepherd, and I know mine, and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. I will lay down my life for the sheep. 

We have heard the verb ‘to know’ mentioned four times: “I am the good shepherd, I and I know mine, and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father.” In the Bible, this word carries a special meaning. It signifies the intimate relationship between a man and a woman in their spousal encounter. This is called ‘knowledge.’ The sexual relationship between animals is not called ‘knowledge’ – it is simply a response to instinct. Sometimes, among humans, sexual intercourse is merely an instinctive response that does not lead to the knowledge of reciprocal love and, therefore, is not a human expression. 

The ‘knowledge’ that arises in the human spousal encounter leads to the discovery of the other’s interiority: what brings the person joy, their desires, thoughts, and dreams, and how two lives are harmonized into one. This is also what happens in knowing God. When you enter into a loving, intimate relationship, your life becomes an expression of God’s life, which is love and only love. 

Jesus then explains what characterizes the life he is involved in, because he is the Only Begotten of the Father; therefore, he includes all who accept his invitation to live beautifully. He says, “I give my life for the sheep.” It doesn’t mean that he dies instead of the sheep. NO. It means he offers his life as a gift, because this is the life of the Father who lives in him. And it is in this life that he involves all of us. There are those he wants to involve in this knowledge of love with him and the Father. Are these only some … the privileged … the chosen people? Let’s listen. 

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must also lead them, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.

To understand these words of Jesus, we must place them in the context of the discourse he is delivering. He has said that he came to take away his sheep from the fold. To remove them from this fold. The original text calls this place ‘αὐλῆς’ = ‘aulé’, which does not mean ‘fold’ but rather a place where the sheep have been held by thieves and attackers who threaten and kill them. 

What kind of place is the one from which Jesus has brought out his sheep? It is the place of the religious institution that preaches a false relationship with God. Jesus came to remove his sheep from this enclosure because they were being mistreated there. The religious practice of the Jerusalem temple was based on a relationship with the Lord that involved gaining something—offering sacrifices to earn his favor. Even the good works performed were aimed at obtaining God’s blessing and favors. NO. This is not the relationship with God that Jesus brought. 

It is necessary to leave that place. Unfortunately, many people remain trapped in a false image of God. This false image is kept alive by mercenaries who, often without realizing it, perpetuate people’s enslavement to this distorted view. Jesus clearly demonstrated his prophetic authority when he drove everyone out of the temple. He made it clear that he did not want people to stay there. He then mentions that there are other sheep not in this specific enclosure but in other enclosures, and that he must guide them, too. After shedding the false image of God and religion, Jesus states that there are additional enclosures—both religious and secular—that keep people in bondage, and that he aims to free them. Consider some of these enclosures: archaic cultures; traditions that humiliate and enslave men and women—these are folds. 

And those who have embraced the thought and love of Christ must strive to help these people break free from these enclosures. This includes the enclosure of a hedonistic mentality, in which everyone focuses on themselves and seeks pleasure. It is a trap. Those inside must be freed from this mindset. It also includes the enclosure of moral corruption, in which individuals are trapped and exploited by those who seek to keep them there. They must be removed from it. 

Christianity is a universal religion that interests everyone. Jesus offers his message of freedom and says: They will listen to my voice, and a single flock and a single shepherd will be formed. They will hear his voice, which signifies his call for a new kind of person. Jesus does not impose his idea of beauty on anyone, because beauty is attractive on its own. He presents himself as a beautiful, gentle shepherd, and those who believe in him become lovely people. He does not need to raise his voice or issue threats; it is his presence that must speak. 

It is important to translate this text accurately, as it has been distorted by Saint Jerome’s translation. He said, “It is necessary that there be only one flock and one shepherd.” Jesus did not come to move a person from one pen to another. No. The sheep must leave all the pens where mercenaries try to keep them enslaved. Jesus loves people who are completely free, those who accept his proposal of beauty and acknowledge him as the only Shepherd. 

Let’s hear how Jesus concludes his proposal for a beautiful, lovely person: 

This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.

The beauty of the shepherd is captured in Jesus’ last words, as we see in today’s gospel. “I give my life. No one takes it from me,” Jesus says, indicating that this command from the Father comes from within him. The order Jesus follows does not originate from outside but from his identity as the Son of God. Since the Father is love and only love, this divine life is fully present in Jesus, making his life a gift. For love is about placing one’s person at the service of the beloved’s joy and life. Jesus states that he ‘offers his life” and makes it available through a free act of love, because love is free. 

Love is not about obligation or giving your life because you have to; rather, it is inherent in a child of God to be willing to give freely. Life inevitably ends—we lose it—and Jesus’ courage is that he does not hold on to his life for himself. If we want to save our lives, we must give them away freely. Follow Jesus’ example by releasing inwardly, letting the Spirit guide us to this act, this gesture of love. Only then will our lives be truly beautiful. We will become genuinely beautiful and loving people, reflecting the shepherd’s image. 

I wish everyone a good Easter and a good week.