Homily – June 6, 2009 – St. Norbert

St. Norbert was born in the Rhineland in the year 1080. He enjoyed all of the benefits and pleasures of a completely worldly life, but then came to realize that these pleasures were futile without the presence of God – and so he even went so far as to embrace the religious state and was ordained a priest in 1115. He preached throughout France and Germany. Gathering together some companions he laid the foundations of the Praemonstratorian Order, for which he also founded monasteries. He was elected Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1126 and reformed the Christian life and spread the faith to nearby pagan nations. He died in 1134.

It is said of Norbert that he did all of his work with steadfast faith: Faith was the outstanding virtue of Norbert's life; as charity had been the hallmark of Bernard of Clairvaux's. Affable and charming, amiable to one and all, he was at ease in the company of the humble and the great alike. Finally, he was a most eloquent preacher; after long meditation he would preach the words of God and with his fiery eloquence purged vices, refined virtues and filled souls of good will with the warmth of wisdom.

The first reading today tells of the good shepherd who looks after the sheep of his flock with care and concern – especially in bringing back the lost, binding up their wounds and healing the sick. Norbert shepherded his flock rightly! The gospel passage urges us to give ourselves completely to the oftentimes difficult task of being a disciple of Christ. We must all take up our crosses daily and follow Jesus into everlasting life. But once we have decided to do this: we must DO IT WITH ALL OUR HEARTS AND MINDS. And the initial decision needs to be based not on our own abilities (like those building buildings, or leading others into battle) but on God's grace who will supply what is lacking in us at the time that we need it!

When we renounce everything – especially our ideas on how things should go – and believe that God's way is better, more efficient and in the long run much easier than we could have ever imagined it – then we are on the right track. The whole world would be much farther ahead than it is right now in grasping the true nature and reality of things if more and more people would only "let the shepherd be the shepherd!"

The Lord is our shepherd – and when we let him shepherd us – there is not one thing that we need for life that will be lacking to us! We need to take the risk and take him at his word!