The Shepherd Is Not the Center of the Story

The Shepherd Is Not the Center of the Story

Many recall the challenging words Pope Francis offered during the Chrism Mass in March 2013, when he told priests that the shepherds of God's people should “smell like the sheep.” Nearly a decade later, while addressing bishops and cardinals gathered in Rome in August of 2022, he warned them not to become Pharisaical—rigid, self-righteous, and overly focused on rules while losing sight of the people entrusted to their care. He reminded them that the heart of the Gospel is mercy.

In this, Pope Francis was echoing the words of Christ Himself

Jesus quoted the prophet Hosea when he declared, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” He did so on more than one occasion: when the Pharisees criticized him for eating with tax collectors and sinners, and again when they condemned his disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath. In both cases, Jesus challenged a religious mentality that elevated legal observance above compassion and human need.

Both Jesus and Pope Francis reminded the religious leaders of their respective times that God values mercy, love, and care for others more than a rigid adherence to religious regulations. The purpose of the law is not to burden people but to lead them more deeply into love of God and love of neighbor.

Can there be any doubt that this same truth lies at the heart of Jesus' great commandment, found in both Matthew 22 and Mark 12?  Jesus says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Of these commandments Jesus says, “There is no other commandment greater than these.”

As I reflected on these themes, I found myself creating and contemplating an image of the Church (see above). The image became, for me, another way of praying with the Gospel.

In the foreground stand people of every age, race, culture, and circumstance: children and elders, the healthy and the infirm, the strong and the vulnerable. Beside them stand shepherds—bishops, priests, and religious—yet they appear only in silhouette.

Perhaps that is precisely the point.

The shepherd is not the center of the story. The flock is.

The shepherd's vocation is not to draw attention to himself, but to make Christ more visible and to help God's people flourish. A shepherd who truly “smells like the sheep” lives so closely among the people entrusted to his care that he shares their joys and sorrows, hopes and fears, struggles and triumphs.

Surrounding the image are scenes of shepherds tending their flocks. Before there were bishops, priests, deacons, and religious, there was Christ the Good Shepherd. Every ministry in the Church finds its meaning in him. The shepherd does not exist for himself; he exists for the sheep.

Perhaps that is why Jesus insisted that love of God and love of neighbor are greater than all sacrifices and offerings. Religious authority, religious observance, and even the structures of the Church are not ends in themselves. Their purpose is to lead people into a deeper encounter with God's mercy and love.

Whenever shepherds place themselves at the center, the Gospel is obscured. Whenever religious observance becomes detached from mercy, compassion, and love, we risk becoming like the very Pharisees whom Jesus so often challenged.

But when shepherds stand humbly among the flock—sharing its burdens, listening to its cries, rejoicing in its blessings, and leading with compassion—the face of Christ becomes visible once again.

And when that happens, the Church becomes what she was always meant to be: not a monument to herself, but a living sign of God's mercy in the world.

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About the Image I created to accompany this blog:

The Church exists not for herself, but for the people entrusted to her care.

Shepherds are called to stand among the flock, not above it; to lead with mercy rather than privilege; and to remember that love of God and love of neighbor are greater than all sacrifices and offerings.

Looking at this image in light of the reflection above, I do not see it as a critique of bishops, clergy, or religious men and women. Rather, I see it as a call to conversion for all of us who exercise any form of authority, leadership, or ministry in the Church.

The clergy and religious are present in the image, but they are not its focal point. The people are.

That strikes me as profoundly Franciscan. It is deeply consistent with Pope Francis' call for shepherds to “smell like the sheep,” and it echoes Christ's own insistence that mercy is greater than sacrifice.

The longer I contemplate the image, the more I am drawn to one subtle but profound detail:

The shepherds are depicted in silhouette, while the people are depicted in full color.

Perhaps that is exactly what a good shepherd does.

He does not draw attention to himself. He helps others become visible.

The shepherd's task is not to stand at the center of the story, but to accompany the flock, to reveal the presence of Christ, and to help God's people flourish.

In that sense, the image is not primarily about shepherds at all.

It is about the people whom God loves and whom the Church is called to serve.

Friar Timothy P. Dore, OFM Conv.

Shrine of St. Anthony, Ellicott City, Maryland

 

June 4, 2026