examination of the heart 214 lion) that were snatching his father’s flock, and boasted about it, saying: “when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth; and if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and struck him and killed him.” (1 Sam 17:34-35). Thus, David was already a good shepherd. But your Jesus was a better one, since upon seeing His Father’s flock (indeed His own as well, because He has all in common with the Father) being swept into the underworld by wild and infernal animals, He came to its defense with a love for His sheep that grew even greater the more perilously He endangered His life, which He ultimately lost. David did not sustain any harm to his life, while tearing his father’s young goats and lambs out of the mouths of wild animals, but Christ the Lord, in guarding His flock or taking it away by force from the infernal beasts, wanted to die for it, lest His flock die. O truly good Shepherd! O truly best Guardian! Our most affectionate Father indeed! And you, the lost sheep, how are you going to repay Him for such a great gift? 3. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (Jn 10:11). Consider that it is not enough for a good shepherd to weary only his body for the sake of his flock, but his soul must be worn out also. The most propitious and most famous in this regard is Moses, that leader of Israel, who opposed the Lord of Hosts when He wanted to destroy all the Israelites because of their enormous transgressions. Moses offered his life for the lives of his brothers, preferring to be blotted out of the Book of Life rather than seeing the people entrusted to his care be destroyed (cf. Ex 32:1-14, 30-32). This is something great and admirable. But what Christ did for our sake is much greater and far more astonishing. In brief, He subjected His body to the most horrible, unheard of, indescribable torments, and to the most ignominious death. For the sake of His sheep, He also offered and subjected His soul to such great sorrows, pains, thorns, and torments, that not only the human, but indeed even the angelic mind can hardly conceive of them, and no mouth of man or angel can explain
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