Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year B)
Acts 4: 8-12; 1Jn 3: 1-2; Jn 10: 11-18
Good Shepherd Sunday and Vocation Sunday
The Jews had a lovely legend to explain why God chose Moses to be the leader of His people. "When Moses was feeding the sheep of his father-in-law in the wilderness, a young lamb ran away. Moses followed it until it reached a ravine, where it found a well to drink from. When Moses got up to it, he said: `I did not know that you ran away because you were thirsty. Now you must be weary.' He took the lamb on his shoulders and carried it back. Then God said: `Because you have shown pity in leading back one of a flock belonging to another man, you shall lead my flock Israel.”
Dear friends,
We heard in the Gospel today, Jesus proclaiming himself as the good shepherd. Whenever we think of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we tend to imagine Jesus with a lamb on his shoulders or Jesus with a herd of sheep and with a staff in his hand. They are beautiful pictures on walls and in our minds. No doubt. Today let us move a little beyond these pictures.
In my reflections I would like to answer two questions: Who is this Good Shepherd really? Secondly, What is the implication of belonging to his flock?
Let me answer the first question. Who is this Good Shepherd really?
In the Hebrew understanding, the Shepherd was absolutely responsible for the sheep. If anything happened to the sheep, he had to produce some kind of proof that it was not his fault. In the book of Exodus (22:13) we read, “If it is torn by beasts, let him bring it as evidence.”
To the shepherd it was natural to risk his life in defence of his flock. A true shepherd never hesitates to risk his life for the sake of his sheep.
When Jesus says I am the Good Shepherd, the Greek word for good here is Kalos and not agathos. Agathos simply means the quality of a thing. Kalos coveys a deeper meaning. It is more than efficiency and fidelity. There is Loveliness in Jesus. Such is our shepherd.
Therefore, to our life, Jesus proposes this challenge to those who desire to be shepherds – to be ready to sacrifice oneself, in other words, ready to lay down ones life for the sake of the flock. This is how Pope Francis would put it, “shepherds living with the smell of the sheep.”
My second question: what is the implication of belonging to his flock?
The answer is in the first reading.
Peter and John, after healing a crippled man at the gate of the temple, spent time in preaching about Jesus in Jerusalem. While they were speaking to the people, the Jewish leaders came and arrested them for preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead. Today’s reading recounts Peter’s speech at their trial. His message was focused on the identity of Jesus. In this context Peter says, “There is no salvation through anyone else.”
Dear friends, the implication of following our Good Shepherd is that we are guaranteed of our salvation through him alone.
The result of receiving salvation through Christ is explained in today’s second reading. St John in his first letter says that we become children of God. We were expelled from the family because of our sin. Christ through his death has made us once again the children of his family.
Dear friends, all of us are shepherds in our own ways. As religious leaders all of us have a greater role to play as shepherds. As a married men and women we have responsibility of up-bring our children in Christian faith, and so we are shepherd. As teachers, we are involved in teaching profession, we are shepherds. As his good flock, let us hear his voice daily, let us try to know him more and more in our life and let us follow him in our words and actions.
On this day, let us also pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, that our young men and women may hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and develop a heart that beats for the flock of God.
(You are most welcome to add your thoughts and reflections in the comment section below)
Happy Sunday
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