Dear Saints,

Do you ever wonder why corruption continues to make headlines? After all, it’s no surprise that dishonesty and double-dealing still exist; the abuse of power has been around as long as power itself.

Cast your mind back over Israel’s earliest kings. Saul was undone by his own jealous obsessions. David was an adulterer who did business with a hitman. For all his wisdom, Solomon’s follies with respect to women and wealth spelled his downfall. And things did not get much better throughout the centuries.

But it’s not just figures of national government. Any time one person exercises authority over another, the danger of poor leadership lurks. Power - no matter how minor in the grand scheme of things - really does tend to corrupt.

Given corruption’s ubiquity, why does it continue to shock and upset us? Why does it even register, when we’re so used to it? I’d propose it’s because we’re made to be shepherded. We need to be gathered and cared for, and when human authority figures neglect us - or, worse, prey upon us - it assaults every fiber of our being, every time it happens.

God is not heedless of the “bad shepherd” experience; on the contrary, Jesus found it a gut-wrenching reality and was moved with compassion when he saw it. The good news is that he has come to deliver his flock, offering both a warning and a word of comfort in his wake. For those who are like shepherds: we exploit those entrusted to our care at our own peril. And for those who are like sheep: no matter what we must endure from the powers-that-be of this world, our true rescuer is at hand, and he will vanquish over all.

Christ’s Peace,

Father Daniel

δοῦλος Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ