Fourth Sunday of Easter Good Shepherd Sunday April 30, 2023
Acts 2:14a.36-41; 1 Peter 2:20b-25; John 10:1-10
We are in the Fourth Sunday of
Easter. The day is called the Good Shepherd Sunday and in recent times this day
has also become known as Vocations Sunday, a day on which prayers should be
said for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
The image of the shepherd is one which
appears several times in the New Testament.
It is one that would be immediately understood by the people of the
time. In the Gospel of John Jesus calls
himself as the Good Shepherd and promises to take care of the sheep entrusted
to his care. We have the popular images of
Jesus the Good Shepherd carrying a sheep over his shoulders, or we have a
smiling Jesus sitting under a tree, with a little lamb on his lap. This image
of the shepherd appeals to us because it shows the tenderness of Jesus and his
compassion. The sheep followed him, because they recognized his voice, and they
trusted him. An image of Jesus as a Good Shepherd is reassuring us that he is
always our support on our journey through life.
The gospel of the day consists of two
comparisons. Jesus explains to his audience through the beautiful and most
relevant image of the shepherded. He
compares himself to the Shepherd and to the Gate. The first title represents
his ownership and he calls each sheep by name. They recognized his voice and
stayed close to him. The second title
represents His leadership. Jesus is the Gate, the door through which the sheep
have an access to the shepherd. The central image, too, is not so much that of
the shepherd as of the gate. In fact,
later on in the passage, Jesus says that he is the Gate of the sheepfold, while
the shepherds who come in and out are pastors who are faithful to Jesus. Anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by
the gate, for instance, by climbing over the fence or breaking through it, is
dangerous and should be avoided. Only a
thief and a brigand who comes to steal and do harm to the sheep will not use
the gate. The genuine shepherd, however,
enters by the Gate and is recognized and admitted by the watchman outside.
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 kid 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 kid on his shoulders and
carried it back. Then God said: `Because you have shown pity in leading back
one of a flock belonging to a man, you shall lead my flock, Israel.'
As we take the
image of the shepherded and compare it with Jesus as our Good Shepherd, we also
link it with another theme of the day – Vocation Sunday.
On this day we are
especially asked first of all to pray that the Church may be provided with the
leaders needed to do its work of spreading the Gospel. We know that at the present time there is a
critical shortage of such leaders, at least in the traditional sense – priests
and religious. But, while we may earnestly pray that our Church is supplied
with the leaders it needs, not merely as priests and religious but lay persons
who would lead people to God. The church needs today good shepherds after the
heart of Christ. The shepherd who can listen to the sheep that is given to his
care, take care of them, love them and above all, show them the merciful face of
the Father. The Lord, our Good Shepherd knows us his sheep by name. We need shepherds
who know their people well. It is great to know that someone
knows you by your first name, for that is already a sign of love. If this
person is someone you trust, you can put yourself in his or her hands and feel
very safe. Jesus presents himself today as a friend who knows and calls us to
walk with him the road of life. He sticks to us through thick and thin; he
shows us the way to follow. Under his leadership we can truly be a people,
God’s people. With Jesus, our Good Shepherd, we now celebrate this Eucharist
and learn from him to care for one another.
Happy Sunday
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