From The Pastor's Desk……


July 20, 2003


Dear Fellow Parishioners,

I like to eat!  Whenever I come to a new assignment, one of my first priorities is to learn where the best eating places are.  I spent two terms in Fresno at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish.  I enjoyed eating at the Basque Restaurant in downtown Fresno.  I quickly learned that when you go to have dinner at a Basque Restaurant, you'd better plan to stay awhile!  They serve a full seven course meal family style.  Usually, there are also shower facilities and living quarters connected with the restaurant.  I learned that the Basque sheepherders use the restaurant as a respite from life in the fields.  Occasionally, the sheepherders are able to come in from the fields and enjoy the simple amenities of a long shower, a good meal, and a good night's rest in a comfortable bed.  Shepherds must sacrifice personal comforts in order to be with their sheep while in the field.

One of the universal images given to Our Lord is that of a "shepherd."  Even the Protestant Community identifies with the image of Christ the Good Shepherd.  There is a popular statue of the Good Shepherd with a lost sheep being carried around His neck at the famous Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, California.  Many tourists come to look at it and admire it.

One of the salient characteristics of a good shepherd is compassion.  We see this portrayed in Jesus today in the Gospel of St. Mark when the gospel writer says:  "When He (Jesus) disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd…." (Mark 6: 30-34).  Through our baptism we have been called to join Jesus in His threefold mission of priest, prophet, and king, as we saw last week.  In our kingly role we are asked to govern God's Kingdom as servant-leaders who strive to implement the Kingdom values of justice, peace, and unity in a world that seems to grow increasingly more unjust, in a world where violence in all its forms is seen as the quickest and surest solution to all problems, and where division is the strategy used to allow just a few to conquer and control the many.  Certainly not an easy task, but that's how we fulfill our role as "good" shepherds.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Ray Tintle, OFM
Pastor