Good Shepherd

Pope John Paul II receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from George W. Bush in 2004

On May 23, 2002, Pope John Paul II held a mass in Baku, Azerbaijan.  It is the only time a pope has ever visited Azerbaijan.  Kent and I were there to hear him.

The setting was a packed sports stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital.  Tickets to the papal mass were carefully doled out to government officials, the tiny Catholic church in Baku with its 120 members, and dignitaries in the international community. Someone in our circle at the international church who worked at the US Embassy acquired some tickets and shared two with us.

I was thrilled to go because I’ve had connection points with Catholics throughout my life. While Kent and I were in Moscow in 1980, the Catholic chaplain hosted us for macaroni and cheese and a prayer meeting at the US Embassy.  While at Redmond High School, our son, Mark, was simultaneously leading worship for youth at our own church and at the parish Catholic church on our hill.

I had an affinity for Pope John Paul II because he was Polish like me.  I’m a little Polish, through my maternal grandfather – Laurence Kopan – who shortened his name from Kopankiewicz. He was the first non-Italian pope since the 16^th century.  He was considered conservative but also a peacemaker, reaching out to non-Catholics and non-Christians around the world.  He was the first pope to visit the White House, meeting Jimmy Carter.

From the back of the stadium, we could see that the pope was bent over and frail. His speech was slurred, perhaps a symptom of recently diagnosed Parkinson’s Disease.  Yet, here he was on a historic visit to a tiny flock.

Pope John Paul II called the Baku Catholic body “little flock”, evoking Luke 12:32 which reads “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the  kingdom.”  He acknowledged the history of Christian persecution under Communism, and celebrated the somewhat easing of religious freedom, after the break-up of the Soviet Union.  He assured his little flock  that “the heart of the entire Church beats with deep emotion and love for you. With her and within her, the heart of the Pope beats as well—he who has traveled all this way to tell you that he loves you and has never forgotten you.”

Pope John Paul II reached out in solidarity to Russian Orthodox Christians, who had provided some theological shelter to Catholics under Communism and extended a hand of peace and goodwill to the wider population of Muslim Azerbaijanis, and secular Russians who grew up under atheistic Communism.  It was a hallmark of this pope to pursue peace and reconciliation.

The printed liturgy in Russian included a verse from John 10, “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me.”  The message greatly moved me.  I had only arrived in Baku in February for an extended stay, and was deeply homesick and culture-shocked.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd, found me half a world away from my home, still knew Me, and reminded me that I knew Him as well.  Through a Catholic pope!

Jesus carries out most of His shepherding through under-shepherds.  Our pastors are explicitly called to this. Every parent does this work.  Every teacher.  Every nurse and doctor.  We all have some measure of this to do.  When Paul the apostle says, “Submit to one another”, he asks us to humbly permit this mutual shepherding in the body of Christ. As did one sister in our Thursday Bible Study group who said to us, “Please send me reminders of God’s promises.  I don’t consider them platitudes.  They’re what I’m hanging onto.”

April 26^th is by tradition Good Shepherd Sunday. May you all meet Jesus and His flock of shepherds that day!