The words of Psalm 23 are:
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters;
he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name's sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me;
your rod and your staff - they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.
Most adults are quite familiar with this psalm. It seems calming, and we are drawn to it. Oddly though, in every line, we can hear a message that sounds different from what we hear all around us. This starts right off with "I shall not want." We live in a culture of deep want: wanting what we want how and when we want it. We tend toward busy, hurried lives. When do we just lie down for rest? We do fear darkness and fall prey to despair. And we don't often find ourselves at table with our enemies.
If it's so very different from our reality, why does this poem have such broad appeal? Why do we yearn to hear it? Perhaps because it paints a reality in which we want to live. But to truly live this life, we must change our whole orientation and give ourselves fully to God. So, is it hard to be a "sheep?" Or is it idyllic? Is it possible?
Catechesis of the Good Shepherd often presents children with counter-cultural perspectives and invites children to work productively in a counter-cultural environment. The Level II discussion around the opening of the psalm - "I shall not want" - can be heated and prolonged. It is one of the gifts of Catechesis of the Good Shepherd to encourage the child's thoughts, questions, dissent, interpretations, wonder.
