LEADING TO THE HIGH PASTURE

By Bp. Joseph (Ancient Church of the West)

Introduction

Beloved in Christ, today’s liturgy gathers us together, like a shepherd herding his errant and oft-wandering sheep, onto a sacred pathway, trodden by millions of other sheep. This pathway, leading to the sheepfold, is lined with the themes of praise, repentance, vigilance, and compassionate action. As we hear the liturgical prayers, say the propers, read the Scriptures, we encounter our God as both Shepherd and Judge, as both gentle Guide and sovereign King, as both Great Physician and prodding, trodding Shepherd. He calls us to follow Him, in our bleating, unwashed, wooly masses, to awaken, to sing for joy, and to love as He loves, even as He stands ready to separate the righteous from the wicked, the sheep from the goats at the End of Days.

SCRIPTURE READINGS

Old Testament Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24

For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be: there shall they lie in a good fold, and in a fat pasture shall they feed upon the mountains of Israel. I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord GOD. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment... Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD unto them; Behold, I, even I, will judge between the fat cattle and between the lean cattle. Because ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad; therefore will I save my flock, and they shall no more be a prey; and I will judge between cattle and cattle. And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it.

Epistle: Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

SERMON

Our Collect implores the Lord to “stir up… the wills of [His] faithful people, that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of [Him] be plenteously rewarded.” Here, we hear the same exhortation to vigilance that our Lord gives in the Gospels: “Watch and pray, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come” (Matthew 24:42). Just as Saint Cyril of Jerusalem exhorts us to keep watchful and alert, saying, “Let us wait for our Christ, that we may be awake when He comes” (Catechetical Lectures, 15.1), we, too, are called to a wakeful faith, laboring in love and good works until He returns in glory.

Our reading from Ezekiel paints a vivid image of God as the Shepherd who rescues His scattered flock: “I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out… I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries.” The Church Fathers see in this a prophecy of Christ’s incarnation and mission. Saint Gregory the Great writes, “Our Redeemer saw mankind scattered… and came from heaven to earth to gather them together in Himself” (Homilies on the Gospels, 34.2). Christ’s mission, then, is to gather, to heal, to restore, as He Himself says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Reflecting on this image of the Good Shepherd, let us consider a story from the life of Saint Euthymius the Great. One day, a flock of sheep wandered into the desert where the saint dwelt. Rather than dismissing them as mere animals, Saint Euthymius saw in them a symbol of God’s own flock. He knelt in prayer, and, raising his hands to heaven, he said, “Lord, as these creatures seek shelter and food, so, too, let Thy people come to know Thy love and find their pasture in Thee.” This tender act of prayer reminds us that to be part of God’s flock is to find our sustenance, our true home, in Him.

Today’s Gospel parable offers a sober reminder of this call to vigilance. Christ, seated in His glory, will separate “the sheep from the goats,” saying to the sheep, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” And to the goats, He declares, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire.” At the heart of His judgment is a simple yet profound truth: what we do to “the least of these,” we do to Christ Himself. Saint John Chrysostom urges us, “Do you wish to honor the Body of Christ? Do not despise Him when He is naked. Do not honor Him here in the church building with silks, only to neglect Him outside where He is cold and naked. For He who said, ‘This is my Body,’ also said, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me no food’” (Homily 50 on Matthew).

In this parable, Christ does not ask whether we have been pious or ritually pure; He does not separate by doctrinal allegiance but by compassion in action. And why? Because the Lord of glory identifies with the vulnerable, the oppressed, and the poor. This is the call of divine love - a love that gives without condition, that stoops low to lift others high. When we show mercy to the needy, we encounter Christ; when we withhold it, we reject Him.

Psalm 23, our Communion hymn, reveals God’s pastoral heart with the tender refrain: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want… He restoreth my soul.” Here, in the words of Saint Augustine, we find our great consolation: “The sheep should not fear when they have such a shepherd. They may pass through the valley of the shadow of death, but the shepherd is with them” (Expositions on the Psalms, 23). How powerful and intimate is this promise! Christ, the Good Shepherd, does not abandon us to life’s dangers. He remains beside us, guiding us into green pastures and still waters, no matter the shadows that fall around us.

The Apostle Paul exhorts us, “Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men.” But he does not leave us with simple advice; he points us toward a heavenly reality: “The Lord is at hand.” The nearness of God is what gives us peace in times of trial and joy in times of plenty. For as Saint Seraphim of Sarov teaches, “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and thousands around you will be saved.” This peace, the peace “which passeth all understanding,” is not passive or weak; it is the very heartbeat of God, a force of such strength that it calms storms and quiets fears.

In one of his poems, the English mystic William Blake captures the powerful vision of the Shepherd King’s kingdom and love. In his “Songs of Innocence,” Blake writes:

The Shepherd

How sweet is the Shepherd’s sweet lot!

From the morn to the evening he strays;

He shall follow his sheep all the day,

And his tongue shall be filled with praise.

For he hears the lambs’ innocent call,

And he hears the ewes’ tender reply;

He is watchful while they are in peace,

For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.

Here, Blake captures the intimacy, tenderness, and vigilance of Christ’s care for us. Christ is not merely a distant ruler but the ever-watchful Shepherd who is “nigh,” who “hears the lambs’ innocent call” and who comforts His flock with unfailing love.

SUMMARY

As we close, let us remember that we are indeed His sheep, called to follow Him, to feed on His Word, and to tend to one another with compassion. Let us heed the psalmist’s call to sing to the Lord, to “enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise,” to live with hearts ever turned toward our Shepherd King. And let us bear witness to His love by our deeds, caring for the stranger, feeding the hungry, and visiting the prisoner, for in them we meet Christ Himself.

O come, let us follow this Good Shepherd and, in doing so, inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. For He who is our Rock and Redeemer has promised that His goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our life, and that we shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Let us pray.

COLLECT

Almighty God, our Shepherd and King, who dost gather thy scattered sheep and judge with righteousness between the nations: Grant us, we beseech thee, hearts stirred to joyful praise, hands eager for good works, and minds steadfast in thy peace. Make us to walk in the paths of thy righteousness, that we may serve thee in the hungry and the thirsty, the stranger and the naked, the sick and the imprisoned, and so inherit the kingdom prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.