Homily of St. Augustine: One Shepherd and One Fold

When Christ speaks of the duties of a good shepherd, he implies that good pastors exist. And nevertheless he fears that we may not understand correctly this use of the plural, and he adds: I am the good Shepherd: then he shows in the rest of his discourse why he is so : The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep, whereas the hireling, who is no shepherd, and does not claim the sheep as his own, abandons the sheep and takes to flight as soon as he sees the wolf coming.

The good Shepherd therefore is Christ. But then, what of Peter? Is he not a good shepherd? Has he not also given his life for the sheep? And Paul? And the other Apostles? And all the saintly bishops who have undergone martyrdom after them? Were they not all good shepherds, and not mercenaries like those of whom it is written: Believe me, they have their reward already.  Yes, they were good shepherds, not only because they shed their blood, but because they shed it for their sheep, not out of pride but out of charity.

What then, Lord, is the significance of this one Shepherd, whom you preach to all the good shepherds? The lesson you are teaching by this means is that of unity. Let us explain this point a little more clearly, after Christ's own words in the Gospel.

I am the good Shepherd means that all the others, if they are also good shepherds, are so as my members. There is only one head, one body, one Christ. As St. Paul says: A man's body is all one, though it has a number of different organs; and all this multitude of organs goes to make up one body; so it is with Christ. If this is true, then Christ, Who contains in himself the virtue of all Other good shepherds, is justified in preaching of only one and saying: I am the good Shepherd. It is I who am the good Shepherd, I alone; all the others form but one with me, are one in me. To be a shepherd apart from me is to be against me. He who does not gather his store with me, scatters it abroad.

But listen to him preaching unity still more emphatically: I have other sheep too, he said, which do not belong to this fold He had been speaking up till now to the first sheepfold, Israel according to the flesh; but he had others, those who belonged to Israel only by the birth of faith: they were still outside, amongst the heathen nations; predestined, but not gathered together. Our Lord knew them, he had predestined them and had come to redeem them with his blood. He saw them, without yet being seen by them; he knew them, without them yet having faith in him. I have, he said, other sheep, which do not belong to this fold because they do not belong to Israel according to the flesh, but they will not remain outside, because I must bring them in too; they will listen to my voice; so there will be one fold, and one shepherd