The True Shepherd and the Thieves — Silvio José Báez, ocd
In the world of Israel and throughout the Bible, everyone understood the work of shepherds—men who carefully fed, protected, and led their flocks. That’s why Scripture so often uses the image of the shepherd and the flock to describe God’s loving relationship with his people. The psalms pray this way: “Shepherd of Israel, hear us—you who lead Joseph like a flock” (Ps 80:1). And with deep trust, the believer can say: “The Lord is my shepherd; there’s nothing I shall want. He makes me rest in green pastures and leads me beside still waters” (Ps 23:1–3).
In today’s Gospel, Jesus presents himself as the shepherd who brings God’s work to fulfillment—feeding us, caring for us, and leading us into life. Between Jesus the shepherd and us, his flock, there unfolds a relationship of deep intimacy and loving knowledge. He calls his sheep “one by one” (Jn 10:3). Each of us is unique and unrepeatable, known by name and by our personal history. He loves us personally, just as we are. To him, we’re not an anonymous crowd. Turning people into a faceless crowd stands in direct opposition to love, and depersonalization only fosters despotic domination.
After calling his sheep, Jesus “leads them out” (Jn 10:3)—like a new exodus—and once he has brought them out, he “goes ahead of them” (Jn 10:4). He does not leave his sheep confined to closed spaces; he does not want them to live as captives, burdened by fear, sadness, or despair. Jesus calls us to set out from the refuges that suffocate us, from the little nooks of habits that have gone stale and moldy, and he leads us toward new and surprising pastures. He doesn’t allow his sheep to be trapped by any human power either—any power that would threaten their dignity or strip them of their freedom. He brings us out of the enclosures that enslave us and leads us into new lands of abundant life.
Jesus is the shepherd of a “flock that goes forth,” and he goes ahead of them, showing the way. He’s a shepherd of freedom, not of fear. He invites us to trust what lies beyond; he knows that along the journey there are many misleading paths, yet he helps us remain on his path by guiding us with his unmistakable voice. Jesus, “the good shepherd” (Jn 10:11), is followed by his sheep “because they know his voice” (Jn 10:4). His voice is unlike any other. He knows us, and when he speaks, he understands the deepest longings of our hearts and leads us to their fulfillment.
His voice is unlike any other. Jesus doesn’t impose rigid commands; he says nothing that instills fear and speaks no words of deception. His voice sets us free, awakens hope within us, and helps us walk through life with joy and dignity. We can trust him and trust in his love. He isn’t a thief who steals our happiness or a tyrant who tramples our freedom. Jesus has come so that we may have life—“life in abundance” (Jn 10:10). The best thing we can do in life is to listen to his voice and follow him.
Jesus shows us the true shepherd, who enters through the door of the sheepfold with respect, in contrast to “thieves and bandits” who climb over the fence, hide themselves, and resort to violence (Jn 10:1). They “come only to steal, kill, and do harm.” Jesus knows that the enclosure that safeguards our dignity and our life is threatened by such thieves and bandits and remains fragile. We must learn to recognize them and remain on guard against them.
The first enclosure we must care for is the enclosure of our own heart. It’s the most intimate and the most important. If we’re not attentive, our heart can be invaded by relationships, ideas, and feelings that do us great harm. There are relationships that rob us of the joy of living and suffocate our freedom; there are ways of life that trap us in mediocrity; there are distorted ideas that breed prejudice against others or stir up false fears that keep us from living with freedom and joy. There are negative thoughts that enter the heart and erode our sense of self-worth, create deep divisions between ourselves and others, and imprison us in the sadness of selfishness or isolation. We must care for the enclosure of our heart.
We must also care for the social enclosure in which we live, because as a people we too are threatened by “thieves and bandits” who come only to steal, kill, and do harm. In Jesus’ day, the “thieves and bandits” he speaks of were, first of all, the religious leaders of Israel—meticulous in observing the law of Moses, yet treating the people with contempt, even though they were largely simple and poor, often without access to education or led astray morally. “Thieves and bandits” are those religious leaders who become authoritarian, who enrich themselves in the name of God, and who neither care for the people nor stand up for them. We must also be on guard against them.
In Jesus’ day, “thieves and bandits” also included messianic leaders who deceived the people, filling them with false hopes through empty promises of liberation. Today, the “thieves and bandits” are the powerful who seize control of the freedom and the future of entire peoples; dictators and their accomplices who present themselves as politicians but who, in reality, are crooks and criminals. They’re especially dangerous today because, in a blasphemous way, they portray their abuses, corruption, and injustices as if they were a blessing from God. They’re also deeply cynical, constantly speaking of peace while maintaining oppressive systems that leave people without initiative or freedom.
All of these are “thieves and bandits.” Jesus says, “they don’t care for the sheep at all,” because when they “see the wolf coming, they abandon the sheep and flee” (Jn 10:12–13). Jesus, “the good shepherd,” stands in contrast to these “thieves and bandits.” He doesn’t come to take away our freedom, but to free us from all that holds us back and weighs us down; he doesn’t cloud our conscience, but enlightens it; he doesn’t take away our true joys, but multiplies them.
Jesus, the good shepherd, has come so that we may have life—and have it in abundance (Jn 10:10). Life is everything we long for in the depths of our hearts: breath, strength, health, beauty, love, relationships, joy, freedom, and peace. Jesus has come so that we may have not just the bare minimum, without which life isn’t life at all, but life that’s abundant and overflowing—one that reaches others and will one day open into life without end beyond death. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (…). Even though I walk through dark valleys, I will fear no evil; for you are with me” (Ps 23:1, 4).
Bishop Silvio José Báez, o.c.d.
Auxiliary Bishop of Managua
Homily, 26 April 2026
Translation from the Spanish text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.
Featured image: A contemplative depiction of Christ as the Good Shepherd standing beneath a star-filled night sky. Image credit: sticker2you / Adobe Stock.
#BishopSilvioJoséBáez #discernment #freedom #goodShepherd #spiritualWarfare
La necesidad interior de realizaciĂłn se satisface individualmente en forma profunda, por el ser mismo.
The inner need for fulfillment is satisfied individually in a profound way, within oneself, by oneself.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Couleur from Pixabay
The inner need for fulfillment is satisfied individually in a profound way, within oneself, by oneself.
La necesidad interior de realizaciĂłn se satisface individualmente en forma profunda, por el ser mismo.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Couleur from Pixabay
The inner need for fulfillment is satisfied individually in a profound way, within oneself, by oneself.
La necesidad interior de realizaciĂłn se satisface individualmente en forma profunda, por el ser mismo.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Couleur from Pixabay
Cafh: Let us carry out the wonderful dream of love, giving life to our words, power to our example, and reality to our offering.
Realicemos el maravilloso sueño de amor dando vida a nuestra palabra, poder a nuestro ejemplo y realidad a nuestra ofrenda.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay
Cafh: Realicemos el maravilloso sueño de amor dando vida a nuestra palabra, poder a nuestro ejemplo y realidad a nuestra ofrenda.
Let us carry out the wonderful dream of love, giving life to our words, power to our example, and reality to our offering.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay
Cafh: Let us carry out the wonderful dream of love, giving life to our words, power to our example, and reality to our offering.
Realicemos el maravilloso sueño de amor dando vida a nuestra palabra, poder a nuestro ejemplo y realidad a nuestra ofrenda.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Annette Meyer from Pixabay
Comenzamos por confundir al Ă©xito con la posesiĂłn de los sĂmbolos de Ă©xito y, al fin, terminamos por confundirnos pensando que somos los sĂmbolos que exhibimos.
We start to confuse success with the possession of the symbols of success and, finally we end up confused, thinking we are the symbols that we show off.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay
We start to confuse success with the possession of the symbols of success and, finally we end up confused, thinking we are the symbols that we show off.
Comenzamos por confundir al Ă©xito con la posesiĂłn de los sĂmbolos de Ă©xito y, al fin, terminamos por confundirnos pensando que somos los sĂmbolos que exhibimos.
#cafhglobal.com #cafh.org #meditation #introspection #spirituality #silence #discernment
Image by Keith Johnston from Pixabay
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