Has anyone here heard of Catholic Bishop Robert Barron? Barron is a Minnesotan bishop known for his social media presence. He is ubiquitous in the world of online Catholic content, to the point he's been called "the bishop of the Internet". I want to share something that Barron addressed in a recent YouTube sermon that I thought was brilliant.
This past weekend, Catholics around the world celebrated what's known as "Good Shepherd Sunday". Occurring every fourth Sunday after Easter, this is a day meant to spark discussion on what it means to be a good spiritual leader or "shepherd". On this point, Bishop Barron provided the following insight:
Barron said that a good shepherd must do three things. First, he or she must walk ahead of the flock - those who are led - in order to show them the way to their destination. Understood metaphorically, this means that a spiritual leader must dwell, at least partly, in the realm of spirit. He or she needs in some sense to seem "strange" or "foreign" to their students. If the shepherd is too relatable to the sheep, then the sheep cannot see a path forward to their desired destination of enlightenment. Indeed, the teacher knows the best way there, so it's his or her job to lead the way by example.
Second, a good shepherd needs simultaneously to abide within the flock. A spiritual leader needs to demonstrate to their students his or her basic humanity. They need to show students that enlightenment is attainable to all, even the most ordinary. This can be done by meeting them on their level, behaving "down to earth". Maybe this means going out to eat or playing a sport together. Anything to remind students that they are understood - they're friends.
Lastly, a good shepherd always remains behind the flock. From there, he or she constantly watches for any sheep that are led astray. These are the students struggling with spiritual brokenness. Maybe they are dealing with something difficult in their personal life, such as grief, the breakdown of a relationship, or simply an existential malaise. Either way, the good shepherd knows that these sheep are the ones most in need of help. Accordingly, they must be tended to and encouraged with love to return to the straight and narrow way.
A spiritual leader who does all three of these at once is a true success. By being simultaneously one step ahead, within, and one step behind, they will accompany their students on the path to spiritual growth and enlightenment.
I find this conception of the good shepherd extremely compelling, and I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts on it. Let's have a discussion!
P.S. If you want to watch Bishop Barron's sermon yourself, here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jsSM2nUTvA&ab_channel=BishopRobertBarron
I watched another video by Bishop Barron a little while ago, I believe upon your recommendation in one of your past articles. Just watched this one, too, thanks for sharing! I do agree with him that a good shepherd will walk ahead, behind and within the flock. I think the most difficult thing as a spiritual leader would be to simultaneously take all these positions at the same time. Many, I think, err on the side of walking ahead of the flock too much.
It's interesting what Robert Barron has to say about being a shepherd. The first point I found especially interesting... I could see how it is beneficial for someone to be different than the flock, in order for the flock to follow.
The second point seems straightforward, but it's where most spiritual "leaders" go astray. You would think a prerequisite for being a spiritual leader is to be a good, ethical person, yet there are so many who are not. And for so many of those who hang out with their flock, that's where the real problems happen: sexual abuse, theft, brainwashing.
I've met a few of these "leaders" who are advanced on the vertical path, but not at all on the horizontal path. They may have something good to share, and they can be learned from, since they can often be quite spiritually advanced, but they are particularly the ones who should steer well clear of their followers. Just teach and then leave the room.
In an ideal world a spiritual teacher would obviously be both advanced spiritually and be a good person, but alas, we do not live in an ideal world so our path can bring us across people who are less than ideal.
