4th Sunday of Easter, Year A
Today the fourth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate the Good Shepherd Sunday. Today’s liturgy calls on us to focus our attention on Jesus Christ our risen Lord and the Good Shepherd who has given His life for His flock to bring us back to God. Today’s celebration is also an invitation to appreciate and pray for all the good shepherds in our lives as Catholic Christians especially our new Pope, Pope Leo who has been entrusted with the duty to serve, lead, guide, and assist us in coming closer to God.
The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd emphasized to us in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint John 10:1-10, is an invitation to pay attention to the mercy of God shown us in Jesus Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. It is also a call to belong to the sheepfold of Christ by knowing the Good Shepherd, by listening to Him and by following His examples. This request to belong to the sheepfold of Christ was also emphasized by Saint Peter in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles 2:14a, 36-41 as he calls on the Israelites to return to God by acknowledging and appreciating God’s mercy and love for them. Then in our second reading from the First Letter of Saint Peter 2:20b-25, Saint Peter reminds us to return to God, the shepherd and guardian of your souls, by following the example and footsteps of Christ. So how do we acknowledge, accept and appreciate Jesus as the Good Shepherd of our lives; and how do we become members of His flock?
To acknowledge, accept and appreciate Jesus as the Good Shepherd and become members of His flock, we really have to know who He is on a personal level spiritually speaking by asking ourselves these questions! Who is God to me? How important is He in my life and what makes Him important in my life? Is He the center of my life? Do I accept His gospel as taught in the teachings of the Church? Do I really know who God is and His significance in my life today? If I know who God is, then do I really listen to His Word in the Scriptures and His teachings and doctrines as taught by the Catholic Church? Or am I distracted from hearing and listening to Him by earthly things, worries and my personal bias and idiosyncrasies? Do I truly follow Christ the Good Shepherd as a member of His flock? And if I do really follow Him as a member of His flock, have I truly accepted His Word and am I living out His gospel in thought, word or deed?
My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus said in today’s gospel reading, "Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture." So let us be part of Christ’s flock and enter that gate so as to be saved by Him and enter His pasture, firstly by striving daily to know Him which is an appreciation and acceptance of the great privilege of being His disciples. Secondly, by hearing and listening to His voice and words to us in the Scriptures, Sacraments, Teachings and Doctrines of the Catholic Church with our hearts and not just with our ears. And lastly, by truly and sincerely following Him as members of His flock which means always doing what He asks of us.
