The Good Shepherd – Thomas Merton

I cant tell you how many times I have read the 23rd Psalm at funerals and at the bedside of people as they make their way over the threshold from this world to the next. The words of this psalm have also offered me much comfort during times of uncertainty and even darkness. This slightly different take on the 23rd Psalm comes from Thomas Merton’s April 11, 1948 journal entry which I read today as a part of my daily Merton readings.

Good Shepherd, You have a wild and crazy sheep in love with thorns and brambles. But please don’t get tired of looking for me! I know You won’t. For You have found me. All I have to do is stay found. (A Year with Thomas Merton: Daily Meditations from His Journals, p. 158)

You have a wild and crazy sheep! Yes, I can definitely relate to that and from my readings, Merton was looking in the figurative mirror when he wrote those words. One of the many gifts of Easter is forgiveness. Just ask Peter who denied Jesus three times or I would even say Judas who betrayed him. Nobody is beyond the reach of God’s love, grace, and mercy. Nobody! I find great comfort in that and I hope that you do as well, dear reader.