Jn 10:11-18 The Good Shepherd

Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter
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Jesus said: "I am the good shepherd.  A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them."

Harvard and Shame.  Harvard's satanic "black mass" will go on tonight, despite widespread condemnation from religious and secular leaders.

The New York-based "Satanic Temple" - which is not very satanic in belief, but definitely atheistic at heart - is putting on the show.  If you recall, this is the same organization that is currently seeking governmental approval to have their statute of the devil (surrounded by smiling children) put on display next to a monument of the Ten Commandments.  Talk about twisted!

This is all very shameful, but much more so for Harvard University, an institution known for academic excellence, not academic decadence.

Harvard President or "Good Shepherd" Drew Faust, in a statement, said it's "deeply regrettable" that the events organizer will proceed despite the fervent opposition by some local residents and students. 

One graduate student remarked: "I would find it interesting if they did something like this to the Koran or Torah." 

Two days ago, the magazine Harvard Crimson reported the following:

A petition opposing the event, organized by Matthew R. Menendez ’14, has, according to Menendez, received the signatures of 370 Harvard students and 100 alumni. The petition demands that the University prevent the event from taking place because it “offends all who have faith in Christ” and “promotes contempt for the Catholic faith.

The Harvard Chaplains, a group of religious and spiritual leaders who, according to their website, represent a diverse array of spiritual and religious practices, expressed concern about the event, which they said is a reenactment of a ritual that mocks foundational beliefs held by many Christians about the importance of Holy Communion.

“Just because something may be permissible does not make it right or good,” Reverend Luther Zeigler, President of the Harvard Chaplains, wrote in a statement to The Crimson on behalf of the Chaplains. “Whether or not these students are ‘entitled’ to express themselves through the ceremony of a ‘black mass’ as a matter of law or University policy is a distinct question from whether this is a healthy form of intellectual discourse or community life. We submit it is not.”

The Good Shepherd.  What makes Christ the Good Shepherd is more than just His fine words.  It is the fact that He is willing to spill His sweat, tears and blood for His sheep and for Truth.  Letters of protest are all fine and dandy, but protests are what we need right now.

Let's pray that Harvard's President, along with their chaplains, faculty, staff and students will take a stand with pen and protests and prevent these religious bigots from mocking Christians and all people of good will.

It's time to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Truth.