Faith Formation : Pray to be sheepish

Starter Prayer: "Loving God, allow me to be a sheep at least once in a while, and never let me forget that most of my life I have been a goat." (from Wondrous Encounters by Richard Rohr)

I have nothing instrinsically against goats -- some of my favorite memories are watching goats, listening to goats, talking about goats with one of my friends who is a shepherd. So to the four legged goats, I say, pay no attention to this posting.

But then there are the words of Jesus, addressed to an agrarian society, and the shepherds knew all too well the distinct and separate nature of sheep and goats. And in short, sheep are desirable and beloved, and goats are troublesome and not laudable. Sheep follow the shepherd's teachings, goats go their own way, meeting their own needs first.

One of my dear, dear mentors has accepted the not so enviable role of being my shepherd. She says that for years she was called a "black sheep" by her family. She was seen as different, as independent, and often prone to do what she needed to do in her own way. Well, I don't agree with her family. I see her as one of the saints in my life, a loving and humble person -- a sheep who is not only white, but radiant with the love of the Shepherd.

My mentor speaks to me often about the way of the servant -- the way of a sheep. Perhaps if I listen to her and follow her, my sheepishness will expand. I may develop from a goat to a black sheep -- then perhaps gray -- then perhaps off white.