We Are All Sheep At Heart

One of the scriptures for Mass this week circled around sheep. Again. Always sheep. They're mentioned so often you either grow to hate the metaphor or you love it. You know me. I love it.

We are all sheep. We know that. We know that God is our shepherd and He takes care of His flock. We've heard all that before. What you never hear about is "wild sheep".

Think about it. I can almost guarantee you have never before in your life ever heard about "the wild sheep of the Netherlands" or the "feral sheep of Wisconsin". You don't hear about wild cows, either. Or goats. It seems that sheep, cows, and goats were made for the human race. It seems that to live on their own in the wild is impossible.

Let's fantasize about sheep for a moment.

Sheep lives in wild. Fall comes. Sheep grows glorious coat. Winter comes. Sheep is warm. Spring comes. Sheep is warm. Spring gets hotter. Sheep is uncomfortably warm. Summer arrives. Sheep needs a strong AC system that is not available to sheep in the wild.

Sheep need people to cut off all that glorious wool so that they don't overheat, and when winter comes around their coat isn't thin or disgusting or unprepared for the cold.

And don't forget the wolves! Sheep aren't exactly the best at keeping themselves alive, hence the pens made of thorns people of the B.C. era would make around their flock and fire to keep the lions and/or wolves out and away. Sheep just kind of ramble around and say "baa" and do their own sheepy thing. A legit shepherd would probably disagree, but if he disagrees, then why is he with the sheep in the first place? Face it. Sheep need someone to take care of them and protect them. It's inevitable.

Never in the Bible (to my knowledge) does it every say "wild sheep", but it definitely says "lost sheep" quite a lot, especially once Jesus enters the picture. It's true. We, as imperfect creatures, must have someone to take care of us. While we might not need someone to cut off all our hair once a year and turn it into soft jackets or Brown Scapulars, don't we need someone to provide for us? Don't we need someone to guide us to wonderful places? Don't we need someone to reassure us in the storm and say "It'll be okay. You'll see."? Don't we need someone to protect us from the wolves and lions of this world? Someone to sacrifice his own life for our sake? Someone to love us? Yes. Oh ginger ale, yes we do.

Let's face it. Like sheep, we're no good at staying alive by ourselves. We might get lucky for awhile, but luck isn't God. Luck doesn't last forever. God is eternal. Why put our faith into something that feeds on chance? Why not put our faith into something--or Someone--who will never, ever fail us?

I mentioned you don't hear about wild sheep, only lost sheep and dependent sheep (you know how on tax forms minors are called 'dependents'?). I find this accurate. Because it is impossible for us to survive without God, when we are away from God, are we not away from home? A child drifting from home may at first delight in the adventures that await her, but when she realizes she can no longer see the lights from her house or the car in her driveway, will she not begin to worry? Will she begin to see the shadows and not merely the sun? Will not drivers on the road suddenly seem reckless and dangerous? When she sees an apple, will she not think of "Snow White"? Not that all lost children are small girls looking at apples in other peoples driveways. It's just an example, but do we not all have our own apples?

But this is about sheep. Not apples.

Long story short, God is home. Away from Home, we are lost. Where will we go? Who will take care of us? I believe firmly that we are all children at heart. I suppose I should add sheep to go with that belief. I can't wait to see that "I believe we're all sheep at heart". But in all seriousness, aren't we? Like children, someone must care for us and love and protect us. Like sheep, someone must feed us and look after us and protect us. As God's little-people-that-He-takes-care-of-whatever-word-it-is-that-I-can't-remember-right-now, does He not do these things? And when we are lost does He not come and find us and lead us home again?

There is no such thing as a wild sheep, only the lost sheep and the dependent sheep. Which are you?