Goats and Sheep and Sheepdogs...

Turretinfan has written an article on his blog titled, "What About King Saul? " wherein he tries to disprove the assertion that David Waltz, a friend, made he had never come across any author/theologian/bishop who denied the fact that our Lord, Jesus Christ is the “single chief Shepard” of His Church. Mr. Fan's evidence, quotations from several papal encyclicals and a statement apparently made by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, whose saintly mother, my wife and I named our daughter after. While I do realize that it is an application of Rule #12 in the Protestant controversialist handbook, "Exaggeration, distortion and bombast are all ok whenever you want to malign the pope or the office of the Pope, but don't ever give a real reason in support of your argument because those evil papists can refute them" still, I was a bit dismayed how very little substance there actually was to the article.

One statement of Mr. Fan's did intrigue me though:

There is no reasonable defense for the Roman bishop's attempted usurpation either of Christ's unique role as Shepherd, nor of his unique role of King and Priest, which are connected to that Shepherdly role

Well, hmmmm.....I don't know....how about the Bible~John 21:15-18 for starters?

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to him a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." (Jesus) said to him, "Feed my sheep. [NAB]

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ 16A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ 17He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. [NRSV]

So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You " He said to him, "Tend My lambs." He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Shepherd My sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You " Jesus said to him, "Tend My sheep." [NASB]

Now Mr. Fan did make the claim in an earlier article that he linked to in the above-mentioned post that this passage from the Bible does not show Christ instituting Peter as the shepherd over the Church in His place, but he gives no evidentiary support for his claim. I would be interested in seeing why anyone reading this passage could not reasonably (since this is the standard of proof that Mr. Fan is applying) understand it to mean that Peter and those who succeeded him (which is what the word "apostolic" means in the Apostles' Creed or Nicene Creed) were to "feed," "tend" and "shepherd" His sheep aka the people of God who make up the Church? Isn't that what shepherds do~feed, tend and shepherd sheep? Anyhow, that is what the Catholic Church teaches, if Mr Fan had cared to fairly treat the subject. Even if Christ was designating Peter as some sort of assistant shepherd or junior shepherd in training or even I guess like a border collie, would not it be appropriate to treat him and his designated successors as shepherds particularly since Jesus, Himself, stated so?

Rather than reading something a bit more substantive than a couple of cherry-picked quotes in a poorly researched article written from a biased Protestant controversialist perspective about what the Catholic Church claims, perhaps one might be better served to read Who we Catholics consider the to be the real "Chief Shepherd" of the Catholic Church and how we are to see the role the Pope, and all bishops of the Church for that matter, by reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 754, 857-896, or at least a copy of the Bible that has Chapter 21 of the Gospel of John in it.

God bless!

P.S. This is what I left on Mr. Fan's comment section to the article since for some reason my comments do not often get posted there:

"Hello Mr. Fan and all, I read this article and it seems to me to be a bit lacking in substance in light of John 21:15-17 stating that Jesus commanded Peter to "tend," "feed," and "shepherd" His sheep aka the Church. See, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sections 754, 857-896. Now one can fairly disagree with the claims of the Catholic Church, but I would submit that leaving out the reasons behind some popes and folks like St. Bernard of Clairvaux made the statements that they did is not one of them. But then again, fairness is what separates a true apologist from a controversialist. I hope in that you keep that in mind in the future. God bless!"