By Fr. Paul D. Scalia, The Catholic Thing - The first duty a good shepherd is to sacrifice: “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Now, we might hear that verse as just a statement of principle: A good shepherd ought to lay down his life for the sheep. Or: When times get difficult, he must lay down his life. All true, but the Lord means something more. He means that a good shepherd sacrifices habitually. Literally, he “is laying down his life for the sheep.”