For the past few months, the parish office has been receiving ominous emails about security issues pertaining to the parish website.  The emails state that unless the designated customer service representative is contacted immediately, the website could experience domain flagging or suspension.  I don’t know what that means, but it sounds scary. 

There are, of course, some obvious indications that these fervent offers of help are fraudulent.  The domain name sending the emails is not associated with the company which hosts the website.  Additionally, numerous consecutive deadlines for remedial action have passed with no perceptible detriment.  

Increasingly, it’s necessary to know how to discern the truthfulness of the claims made by individuals and groups.  Institutions such as banks and technology companies publish lists of suspicious behaviors to help their customers avoid attempts at fraud and theft.  These educational campaigns provide a great service to consumers. 

Long before it was fashionable to perpetrate financial fraud and identity theft, however, religion was a popular instrument for fraud and deception.  Today’s Gospel reading addresses the dishonest use of religion. 

In the Gospel, Jesus referred to thieves, robbers, and strangers who scatter and harm God’s flock.  Traditionally, in Hebrew religion, the Chosen People were described as the flock of sheep to whom God sent prophets and kings as shepherds.  The pastoral imagery of sheep and shepherds might sound unflattering, but it was intended to convey God’s abiding care for God’s People.  Unfortunately, not all those called to be prophets, kings, or religious leaders discharged their sacred duties with the People’s best interests in mind.   

Jesus judged the religious leaders of his time to be failed shepherds whose only interest was “to steal, slaughter, and destroy” God’s flock. (Jn 10:10)  The religious leaders seem to have been so blind to their failings that Jesus repeated the parable with a slight variation to emphasize the point. 

Ineffectual religious leadership, by no means, ended with Jesus’ death.  The first generations of Jesus’ followers found that they, too, had to discern the motives and interests of those who presented themselves as religious leaders. 

The Didache, an ancient instructional manual for Christian congregations, provided advice about how to discern the motives of those who claimed to be sent by God. Congregations were warned to avoid those who spoke pious words but behaved in self-serving and deceitful ways. (#11)  This common-sense way of distinguishing good leaders from bad was based on Jesus’ own example.   

Jesus described himself as the shepherd whose voice is recognizable to God’s flock because he lived according to God’s will as articulated in the Law and the prophets. (Jn 10:4)  God’s flock doesn’t recognize the voice of the one who doesn’t live according to the teaching contained in the Scriptures; such a one speaks with a voice of deception and evil. (Jn 10:5)  Today’s first reading provides an example of how to learn to follow the familiar voice of Jesus and reject other voices. 

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, Peter preached to the crowds, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” (Acts 2:40)  There are many interpretations of what it means to ‘save oneself from corruption’ but not all interpretations are valid. 

The salvation that Peter preached to the crowds is the salvation that Jesus accomplished by his death.  Jesus did not reject the world.  He did not condemn his persecutors.  He did not try to escape his fate.  He did not blame anyone for the injustice he suffered.  Rather, he accepted his burdens lovingly, with graciousness and hope. 

Contrary to popular opinion, saving oneself from “this corrupt generation” isn’t accomplished by rejecting the world but by rejecting faithlessness and immorality in one’s own life.  The call to reject evil is never addressed to other people; it is always and only addressed to oneself.  Those who think that the call to repentance is addressed to the people whom they dislike are the rapacious, destructive leaders whom Jesus warned his disciples to avoid.  Similarly, those who think that repentance requires no moral change in themselves are thieves and robbers. (Jn 10:8) 

According to Jesus, saving oneself from the present corruption demands two specific judgments and rejects all other acts of judgment.  Membership in God’s flock requires that one accepts God’s judgment on the world, namely, that the world is the intended recipient of God’s mercy.  Secondly, following Jesus the Good Shepherd requires that one’s life can be judged as an act of trust in God and trustworthiness toward people. 

It is easy to have certainty about the nature of the people and groups which seek to influence others.  Those who practice the mercy and generosity taught by Jesus are worthy of one’s trust; everyone else is to be avoided.