And when he landed, Jesus saw a large crowd, and had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. This passage of the Gospel according to Saint Mark (6:34) portrays Jesus Christ’s attitude upon seeing what was going on before His very eyes. Because the word of God is always up-to-date and, as the Bible itself says, the word of God is living and efficient and keener than any two-edged sword (Heb 4:12), one can properly affirm that the characteristics of the situation contemplated by Our Lord are nowadays more keenly present than ever before.

            In the midst of the grave crisis which is affecting the contemporary Church, it is very sad to consider the massive numbers of completely dismayed and confused Faithful, wandering here and there like sheep without a shepherd and having reached a point at which they do not know what to think or where to go. Many of them have opted to stop thinking and have adopted an attitude of indifferentism which is a veritable suicide.

            And all of this has taken place due to one of the strangest and most inexplicable phenomenon and trial which is negatively affecting the Barque of Peter as never before in her entire History: The silence of the Shepherds about the present situation of the Church and of the world –silence and, sometimes, confusion; along with a widespread sowing of disorientation and even error among the very sheep of the Flock of Christ.

            If we look for the ultimate cause of this phenomenon, we will undoubtedly find a veritable crisis of Faith. But if we try to find a more germane reason, we will come face to face with the bizarre belief, which the Devil has seemingly been able to spread like a veil before the eyes and minds of many Shepherds, that one has to be with the world because it is not possible to oppose it.

            In times gone by, when one could still speak clearly, this attitude would have been termed as treason; today, it is known by a variety of names: advancement through dialogue, prudence, moderation, appeasement, respect for everybody’s beliefs, opting for the lesser evil…etc, etc; after all, lies have always needed to put on many different garments. 

            The worst thing about all of this is that one cannot avoid thinking that high-ranking Officials within the Hierarchy of the Church share this attitude, in spite of the fact that those Officials, because they are Hierarchy, are burdened with a greater responsibility…which they seem to ignore. A Shepherd, for example, cannot encourage the Faithful of his flock to adopt a particular stance before the Powers which are waging war against the Church, while he not only refuses to support that stance, but he also dares to say unambiguously that he does not have the least intention of doing so. It is evident that a Shepherd who behaves like this, following in the footsteps of Captain Trickster, would eventually lose his leadership, for the sheep would no longer trust him, and rightly so.

            The sheep are well aware –after all, one cannot stop them from thinking—that this behavior responds to vested interests on the part of the Shepherd. A Shepherd pays a price when he yields in this or that issue –usually with his silence before Evil, which puts the sheep at risk—in order to get something from the Powers of this world. But, such Shepherd forgets that merely attempting to come to an agreement (or to dialogue, which is the same thing) with Evil and with Error is sinful in itself and a real betrayal. To what extent can Truth yield? Perhaps in some of Its elements? Not at all, for any amount of concession would involve error. And to what extent can Evil or Error yield? Perhaps in one of their aspects or characteristics? Not at all: their yielding before Goodness or Truth would be tantamount to admitting somehow their own Evil and Error…, which would already be some Good. That is why the Word of God seems to oppose such concessions: What has justice in common with iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what part has the believer with the unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? (2 Cor 6: 14—16).

            Some people speak about yielding before the Powers of this world in order to achieve a certain amount of goodness. But is this attitude even possible considering the dangers of confusion and disorientation that it causes among the sheep? Esau sold his birthright to Jacob in exchange for a bowl of stew. Is it licit for a Shepherd, no matter how important he may be, to yield to any demands whatsoever of the Powers of this world? Can a Shepherd gamble with the wellbeing of the souls of the Faithful –to secure, for example, the approval and the collaboration of those Powers in order to successfully bring about some Gathering? Especially when positive fruits to be obtained by such an event –a deeper Christian life among Young People, for instance—are rather doubtful and more than questionable? To renounce things of the highest value in exchange for others which are, in the eyes of many, nothing but ambition for personal interest and success is a delicate matter. Also, if such things, like the wellbeing of souls, are sold in exchange for something like a bowl of stew, such a deal does not fall any longer merely within the parameters of mere human justice but rather within the demands of Divine Justice.