“Christ the True High Priest and Good Shepherd”
A reflection on Hebrews 5:1–6 and John 10:11–16 in the spirit of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
III Class – Feria Sexta infra Hebdomadam XXII post Octavam Pentecostes (November 3rd)
As the Church commemorates Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr, we are given to meditate on two rich passages of Sacred Scripture: Hebrews 5:1–6 and John 10:11–16. These readings converge beautifully in their portrayal of Christ as both High Priest and Good Shepherd, revealing the mystery of His divine mission and its extension in the sacrificial life of His saints, like Saint Josaphat.
“Every high priest taken from among men…” (Heb 5:1)
The Epistle to the Hebrews draws us into a profound meditation on the priesthood. The inspired author reminds us that the high priest, in Old Testament typology, was “taken from among men,” appointed for men in the things that pertain to God. He offered gifts and sacrifices, stood as a mediator, and bore the burden of the people’s sins.
Yet this priesthood, though established by God, was only a figure, a shadow of the true High Priest to come. Saint John Chrysostom comments:
“He was not only made a man, but even took on the office which is charged with the sins of others. And this is no small sign of His love for mankind—that He, who is free from all sin, offered sacrifice not for Himself but for us.”
(Homilies on Hebrews, Hom. 8)
Thus, in Christ, the priesthood reaches its summit and fulfillment. The text declares: “So Christ also did not glorify Himself, that He might be made a high priest, but He that said unto Him: Thou art My Son… Thou art a priest forever according to the order of Melchisedech.”
Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his Commentary on Hebrews, explains that this priesthood is eternal, spiritual, and universal—unlike the temporal Levitical priesthood. The priesthood of Melchisedech, which prefigures Christ, was without genealogical origin, just as Christ’s is not of human lineage but divinely instituted.
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth His life for His sheep.” (John 10:11)
Turning to the Gospel, the theme shifts from temple to pasture, from altar to field. Yet the mystery is the same: self-sacrifice for the salvation of souls.
Christ identifies Himself as the Good Shepherd, in contrast to the hireling who flees when danger comes. The Good Shepherd lays down His life, not for hire, but out of love—a love rooted in eternal knowledge and communion with the Father.
Saint Augustine expounds:
“What is the ‘Good Shepherd’? One who lays down his life for his sheep. He did what He taught; He showed what He commanded. He laid down His life for His sheep, that in the sacrament of His body and blood He might nourish the sheep whom He had redeemed.”
(Tractate on John 46.3)
Here, the priestly and pastoral offices meet: the Shepherd is also the Priest, offering not a lamb, but Himself as Victim. This is the heart of Christian priesthood and martyrdom.
Saint Josaphat: Shepherd and Victim
It is precisely in this dual image of priest and shepherd that Saint Josaphat is set before us today. As Archbishop of Polotsk, he labored tirelessly for the unity of the Church, seeking to bring the separated Eastern Christians into communion with Rome. He was a shepherd who did not flee, even when his flock turned against him.
Rather, he became like Christ—a priest taken from among men, who bore the sins and misunderstandings of his people, and who laid down his life for the sheep. In 1623, he was violently martyred by a mob opposed to his fidelity to Rome and Catholic unity.
Pope Pius XI, in Ecclesiam Dei (1923), described Saint Josaphat as one who “shed his blood for the unity of the Church,” a martyr for the principle that the Church must be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. His priesthood, lived in union with the Eternal High Priest, bore the ultimate fruit of martyrdom—imitatio Christi usque ad mortem.