Bishop Olmsted and the Silence of the Lambs

PHOENIX (By Jon Garrido, The Jon Garrido Network) January 11, 2010 — The duty of shepherds was to keep their flock intact and protect it from wolves and other predators. The shepherd was also to protect migration of the flock.

Metaphorically, the term is used for God, especially in the Judeo-Christian tradition (e.g. Psalm 23), and in Christianity especially Jesus, who is called the Good Shepherd. The Ancient Israelites were a pastoral people and there were many shepherds among them. It may also be worth noting many Biblical heroes were shepherds, among them the Old Testament prophet Amos, who was a shepherd, as well as King David, and Moses. In the New Testament angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds.

The same metaphor is also applied to priests and with Roman Catholic bishops having the shepherd's crosier among their insignia. In both cases, the implication is the faithful are the "flock" who have to be tended. This is in part inspired by Jesus' injunctions to Peter, "Feed my sheep." (John Chapter 21).

The Great Shepherd is one of the thrusts of Biblical scripture. This illustration encompasses many ideas, including God's care for his people as well as the tendency of humans to put themselves into danger's way and their inability to guide and take care of themselves apart from the direct power and leading of God.

"Feed my sheep." (John Chapter 21)

Jesus calls to the men — disciples with whom he has shared many meals. "Come, have some breakfast!"

They squat around the fire and eat the bread and fish Jesus has prepared. Hot fish! Hot bread after a long night's work!

Jesus, the great Feeder of men is feeding his flock.

Jesus calls Peter aside. "Do you love me, Peter?"

With pain, Peter remembers how three times he had vehemently denied Jesus just before his crucifixion. He can hardly look Jesus in the eye. He mumbles, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you."

"Peter, feed my sheep," says Jesus. Three times Jesus asked Peter to reaffirm his love — once for each time Peter had denied him. Three times Jesus reaffirms Peter's call to ministry. Jesus not only forgives Peter, he restores him fully to his confidence.

"Feed my sheep"

Not physical food. Jesus is talking about spiritual food — teaching, praying, leading, exhorting, serving and tending. Jesus is asking for Peter's love, but with that love, Jesus requires obedience.

Peter knows what he's saying. Jesus had once described the crowds as harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

"Yes, I love you, Jesus," says Peter clearly, lifting his eyes to meet the Master's.

"Then feed my sheep," says the great Feeder of men. "Peter, I need you to feed my sheep for me."

"Yes, Lord, of course I will," whispers Peter, as his eyes flood with tears. "You can count on me."

John Chapter 21: Verse 16

A 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." He said to him, "Tend my sheep."

The second instruction by Jesus is to tend my sheep. In 1887, Antonio Vincent wrote concerning this word, "the verb tend denotes all that is included in the office of a shepherd — guiding, guarding, folding...."

The Lord tells us we must tend the sheep. Who are the sheep? Certainly it refers to all who are under our care especially the defenseless and persecuted — namely, the undocumented.

The shepherd’s responsibility of tending to his sheep is comprehensive. He will go to no end of trouble and labor to supply them with the finest grazing, the richest pasturage, ample winter feed and clean water. He will spare himself no pains to provide shelter from storms, protection from ruthless enemies and the diseases and parasites to which sheep are so susceptible. ... From early dawn until late at night this utterly self-less shepherd is alert to the welfare of his flock. For the diligent sheep man rises early and goes out first thing every morning without fail to look over his flock. It is the initial, intimate contact of the day. With a practiced, searching, sympathetic eye he examines the sheep to see they are fit and content and able to be on their feet. In an instant he can tell if they have been molested during the night — whether any are ill or if there are some which require special attention. Repeatedly throughout the day he casts his eye over the flock to make sure all is well. Nor even at night is he oblivious to their needs. He sleeps as it were ‘with one eye and both ears open’ ready at the least sign of trouble to leap up and protect his own.

So let us not neglect our responsibility in caring for the family of God. We must be willing to minister to hurts, to encourage the disheartened, to pray for those who are sick, to help the needy, and to reach out to those who are strangers in our mist — the undocumented. “You shall not oppress the stranger; you know the heart of the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 23:9).

Let us never neglect the job the Lord has given us to tend the sheep. We must not only care about them, but we must also take care of them.

In John 21:16, the word poimainoo (Greek for shepherding) is used which signifies to tend a flock, not only to feed, but to take care of, guide, govern, defend, etc., by which to intimate it is not sufficient merely to offer the bread of life to the congregation of the Lord, but the shepherd must take care the sheep be properly collected, attended to, regulated, guided, etc.; and it appears Peter perfectly comprehended our Lord's meaning, and saw it was a direction given not only to him, and to the rest of the disciples, but to all their successors in the Christian ministry; for himself says, 1 Peter 5:2: "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight, not by constraint, but willingly...."

John Chapter 21: Verse 17

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 everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep.

This is the third opportunity given Peter to affirm his love for Jesus. Remember, Peter had denied Christ three times at the palace of the High Priest. Now he is given a chance to affirm his love three times. Jesus’ three fold question and three fold commission of apostolic mission contrast directly with Peter’s three denials. Three times Peter said he did not even know the Lord; now three times he said he loved the Lord. No matter how great a person is, he may fall. But God’s grace and forgiveness will restore the repentant.

Now Jesus gives Peter a third command — feed my sheep. First he said to feed my lambs, then tend my sheep, and now feed my sheep. Too often churches tend to their flock but neglect to feed them. Many churches have fabulous programs to meet the needs of their members — programs for all ages, support groups, counseling groups, and addictive behavior groups. They have times of fellowship and activities for the whole family. They tend their sheep well.

But Jesus said we must also feed the sheep. We must be fed from God’s word. We must learn about God and his nature, his attributes, his personality. We must be taught how to rely on the Holy Spirit. We must go from the milk of a new believer to the meat of God’s word. As Paul wrote in Hebrews 5:12-14, "In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil."

How does this maturity come? It comes from being fed. As we learn from God’s word, we will grow in his grace. But how will the sheep grow if they are not being fed? That is our responsibility. We must be willing to not only tend the flock, but also feed it with spiritual food.

The Diocese of Phoenix

Bishop Olmsted did not initially neglect social justice issues. According to the East Valley Tribune, Olmsted has spoken out against capital punishment and contraception. The Arizona Daily Star reported with the bishops of Tucson and Hermosillo, Mexico, Olmsted drew attention to the dangers immigrants face crossing the border. The bishops called for hospitality for immigrants as well as the promotion of social justice in both Mexico and the United States. "Whatever happens to the least of us is what happens to Christ," Bishop Olmsted said. He also joined with the other bishops of Arizona in opposing a ballot measure for Proposition 200, which proposed removing public services from undocumented immigrants. "The Catholic Church recognizes," the statement said, "a sovereign state has the right to control its borders in furtherance of the common good. Nonetheless, all human beings are entitled to basic inalienable rights. In the Holy Father's Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation titled, 'The Church in America,' it is specifically noted 'attention must be called to the rights of migrants and their families and to respect for their human dignity, even in cases of non-legal immigration.'"

Since this beginning advocacy, there has been a progression of hostility spreading like the Angel of Death passing through Egypt to kill all firstborn. Within the city of Phoenix, there are many Angels of Deaths. One Angel of Death is satanic Mormon Russell Pearce spreading his hatred throughout Arizona like a deadly virus annihilating the undocumented by removal. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is another Angel of Death now arresting 1,000 undocumented a month and on the same day of arrest, without notification to remaining family, the undocumented are deported by ICE. As devastating as this may be, having a more adverse impact is a family left without a father as head of household to provide for wife and children patiently waiting through the evening and into the night for a father who has mysteriously vanished.

Arizona now lays claim to the beginning of blatant racism toward the undocumented and is in the forefront of a national movement to remove the undocumented from the workplace and our communities.

All of these are barbaric acts against God but a greater sin against God is silence from those who are entrusted to safeguard our Hispanic community by using every available resource to fight the injustices of those that would hurt us.

Where is the Diocese of Phoenix when shouts for help are heard on every street corner where the undocumented seek work?

Behind the walls of the Diocese of Phoenix compound sits a bishop oblivious to the cries of those being persecuted. How does one reach this out of touch uncaring bishop? It is harder to gain entrance into this guarded compound than it is to gain entrance into the inner sanctum of the White House and I have been there twice.

The lack of advocacy in Phoenix is attributed primarily to Bishop Olmsted but there are others who share blame for their silence. The spineless parish priests have a fiduciary responsibility to stand up and be counted to help bring about change in the diocese. They too are silent and they too will be held accountable to God for not protecting the flock that has been entrusted to them. Some silently acknowledge the lack of care for the undocumented but claim they are bound by obedience to Olmsted but obedience to Jesus trumps Olmsted.

Some day Jesus will judge them and ask, "Who is the Messiah? When you saw the wrong, why did you choose to be obedient to Bishop Olmsted and allow my sheep to be led to slaughter? Am I not greater than Olmsted? Am I not the Messiah?"

John the Baptist accepted Jesus was the Messiah. John made it very clear to those who came to hear him, even to his own disciples standing there by his side.

Gazing at Jesus, as He walked by, John said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

When John’s two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus (John 1:35-37). This is not the case for the Diocese of Phoenix parish priests who continue obedience to Olmsted.

There is no valid justification for parish priests for not abiding with the responsibility of shepherding the flock entrusted to Olmsted.

The parish priests have a responsibility to stop the slaughter and their silence indicts them as co-conspirators with all crimes against humanity the bishop imposes upon himself for his silence.

The Diocese of Phoenix parish priests, the Diocesan Hispanic Council and the Diocesan Hispanic Ministry staff are like the German people who as the Nazis Gestapo was arresting Jews simply because they were Jews, the German people turned their backs on the Jews and saw nothing they did not want to see. The German people are as guilty as the Nazis Gestapo for abdicating their responsibility to make visible great wrong doing against humanity. 

The Germans after the war tried to cover up the killing of 6 million Jews. The Germans rationalized they were not aware of what was being done to the Jewish population in Germany.

To me there is no difference between the Diocese of Phoenix parish priests, the Diocesan Hispanic Council, and the Diocesan Hispanic Ministry staff and the German people looking the other way as the Nazis Gestapo arrested German Jews.

It is clear to all Hispanics, the Nazis Gestapo is reincarnated as the Angel of Death known to all as Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The Diocese of Phoenix Hispanic Council

Only a handful of persons know there is a Diocese of Phoenix Hispanic Council. Lack of transparency shields them from public view. They too are indicted co-conspirators in their silence. They could have an active influential voice in insisting Bishop Olmsted follow the mandate of Jesus to protect, feed and tend his flock in demanding advocacy for the undocumented.

 

They will not do this for they are obedient to Olmsted — not Jesus. Further down the pecking order is the Diocese of Phoenix Hispanic Ministry staff. Their obedience to Olmsted is well known and their silence has been recorded.

 

A letter will be sent by Hispanic News to the Vatican, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, and every member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Requesting Pope Benedict XVI Force Bishop Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix to Resign.

Installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix on December 20, 2003, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted shepherd's crosier had a luminous brilliance. The crook's radiance has since tarnished because of Olmsted's oblivion as evident from the silence of the lambs.

Jesus asked obedience of Peter. Jesus asks obedience of Olmsted. Thomas J. Olmsted has disobeyed Jesus. Olmsted's silence has not protected Jesus' sheep. Olmsted is no longer worthy to be bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix. Olmsted is not worthy to carry the shepherd's crosier and wear a bishop's miter. The crosier once entrusted to Olmsted should be stripped away leaving him a simple priest without a flock. Olmsted should then be exiled to a solitary monastery in the desert far away to reflect on the meaning of obedience to Jesus; however, Olmsted would probably welcome this solitary existence since he likes living in a cave oblivious to the turmoil taking place outside his cave. A more fitting exile would be to strip him of his priesthood and send him out into the streets of Phoenix as a homeless to experience first hand the daily life of the undocumented he once was entrusted to protect when he was the shepherd of this flock.

The next installments of this series now being drafted include:

1. Racism in Arizona against Hispanics is creating a dichotomy of civilizations, one community being Hispanic and the other White. This goes against the second most important commandment of God to 'love thy neighbor as thyself.' Neither must bear false witness against thy neighbor. Yet, this is the evil mantra where white extremists spit venom epitaphs against the undocumented and anyone with a brown face. This in itself is evil but where is the white Catholic community who know this is wrong? Their silence condones this evil and Bishop Olmsted's silence is responsible for this malaise.

2. The Future of the Catholic Church in America

3. The Demise of the Catholic Church in the Americas starting with the end of Liberation Theology brought about John Paul providing Evangelicals and Pentecostals to become the primary advocates for Latinos beginning in South America and spreading northward into the United States. When John Paul II went to Latin America, he found 8,000 (3 million per year) Catholics were leaving the church each day to become Pentecostals or Evangelicals.

4. Lack of Catholic advocacy participation is driving Hispanics away from the Catholic Church to other churches. This hemorrhage could be stopped by a visible church of advocacy. The lack of Catholic advocacy provides fertile ground for advances of Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Baptists and Mormons in the United States. Hispanics often say they feel socially isolated and harassed under local and national laws. The Catholic Church remains silent. Witness Bishop Olmsted. 

If you want to become involved making change contact me:

 

Jon Garrido Jon@JonGarrido.com 602 244 1000