A Father's Staff
One of the first things a child being raised in the Catholic faith will notice about the life of the Church is the special occasions and the details that are attached to such events. The most significant moments will always have the bishop of a diocese; a local bishop is an incredibly unique position. On the one hand, he is a man with immense power, perhaps more power than any other individual within the Church. He has total control over the practice of the faithful within his diocese, and all of the priests vow to be obedient to him. On the other hand, he should be approachable, and usually is. Unlike a politician, you will encounter him, speak with him, get to know his personality, and learn to be obedient to what he asks of you as a member of his flock. A child, though, has no awareness of power and authority. Instead, they notice the details that are novel to their daily experiences. Children focus on visuals, and a bishop is well known for how he appears in a liturgical setting: he has a pointy hat and a long staff, two unique items not to be seen with anyone else.
As we get older, we learn to understand the meaning of a bishop’s miter and crozier. A miter, like any male head covering in religion, usually signifies some form of teaching authority. But a crozier is a profoundly unique liturgical item. A child will notice that a crozier looks like a shepherd’s staff, which is exactly what it is meant to symbolize. A staff was historically used by shepherds for multiple purposes. It acted as support for the constant movement throughout the day for a working shepherd, similar to a walking stick. Like all walking sticks common to the time of Christ, they also served as a weapon for self-defense. For a shepherd, though, they never used it to defend themselves, but rather his sheep from wolves or other predatory animals that may have tried to get to his flock. The hooked end of a staff was used to forcibly guide the sheep when they moved so far away from the flock, allowing the shepherd to extend himself physically in order to bring a lost sheep back into the fold. This one item served the shepherd’s own needs, the need to protect his flock, and the need to correct his flock. As the “shepherd” of a diocese, a bishop should admire his crozier as a perfect symbol of his responsibilities for his flock - to protect them from the wolves of this world, to correct them when they go astray, and to find stability in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who he is modeling his behavior after. A bishop, like a shepherd, takes on a fatherly role for the flock for whom he is responsible. Part of being a father is to protect and defend, but equally important is to correct. To use the hooked part of a staff was never pleasant or gentle on a sheep, but that was only because it was used when absolutely necessary for the good of the individual sheep.
In today’s Gospel, we hear one of the most famous parables about the Prodigal Son. The father in this story is the perfect example of how a father, whether he be physical or spiritual, should behave towards his children. The story is well known, but notice that Christ only shares it when he is speaking to a large crowd that consists of both pharisees and tax collectors, men of the Law and noted sinners. Christ wanted to emphasize that there is a time to correct, a time to gather the sheep and to bring them back into the fold. Once they are back where they were meant to be, the past is forgotten. Now, the priority is to protect each individual sheep from outside threats and external danger. Our shepherds ought to reach out to bring back the lost sheep. The rest of us ought to aid our shepherd and obey him as he seeks to love and protect us.
Today's Readings:
