4th Sunday of Eastertide Gospel Reading- John 10:1-10
Jesus said:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.
The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,
as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
When he has driven out all his own,
he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,
because they recognize his voice.
But they will not follow a stranger;
they will run away from him,
because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”
Although Jesus used this figure of speech,
the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them.
So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
I am the gate for the sheep.
All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate.
Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;
The Gospel of the Lord
The Mass intention is for Lisa Hunt RIP
One of the oldest paintings of Christ, in the Roman catacombs, represents Christ as carrying the injured, straying sheep gently on His shoulders back to the sheepfold. This is an image of Christ, which has always appealed to Christians. We have Christ as our shepherd—He tells us so himself in today’s gospel—and we do not resent being called sheep in this context.
There is something guileless about a sheep, and at the same time a lot of foolishness! But with Christ as our shepherd and the “good shepherd” who is sincerely interested in the true welfare of His flock we have reason to rejoice!
While the image of sheep may conjure up an idea of simple, peaceful, passive creatures, we need to remember being a part of Jesus’ flock is anything but passive. Jesus pretty clear in this passage that being a member of the flock is not a passive action,” “It’s not something that we just stumble into accidentally.
It’s an active response to hearing His voice and following Him. And so when Jesus gives us that very simple description of discipleship as someone who hears and follows, that’s instructive to us. It tells us that we need to create that space in our lives so we can actually hear the authentic voice of Jesus, always under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”
And while Good Shepherd Sunday is certainly the perfect time to pray for Priestley, Religious Vocations and all those who shepherd the Lord’s flock, it is also an opportunity to look at our own lives, and see how we can be good shepherds to those in our care, because we are all responsible for someone!
• Do I sense the peace and calm that comes from being under the care of the Good Shepherd?
• Do I pray for those who continue the work of shepherding the flock of the Jesus?
• How do I shepherd those who are entrusted to my care?
Fr John