Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:14-15)
When folks lay down their lives for others, they become icons of the Good Shepherd. Thanks to the coronavirus, we have all been amazed to have discovered the Face of the Good Shepherd in so many people that are normally taken for granted: the cleaning lady; the trash collector in the neighborhood; the man who stocks the shelves at the grocery store. So many people who serve our needs without ever calling attention to themselves. Perhaps, after the virus, we will return to normal and take them for granted again . . . but maybe not this time. Maybe, just maybe, we now realize that it takes all of us together to be the Face of the Good Shepherd to one another. The Face of the One who came not to be served, but to serve and to lay down his life for us all.
