FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER:

“ the Good ,” says the Lord in today’s . Many of us are not . Yet we have seen the and know that they are gentle animals, unable to defend themselves against ferocious ones. Unlike the other animals, the sheep follow the shepherd. You might have noticed that the shepherd goes in front of them, calls them and they follow him. The term shepherd implies an image of responsible leadership, devotion to duty and concern for others. When the prophets of the Old Testament spoke of Yahweh as the true shepherd, they understood him as one who really cares for His people.

When said, “I am the ,” he meant that he does what a good shepherd does, namely: the good shepherd knows his sheep. He knows the sheep by name even if they are a hundred. Jesus as the Good Shepherd knows each one of us ‘by name,’ knows our innermost needs. The good shepherd leads his sheep. He leads them safe and secure and watches over them. Jesus leads us safe and secure in the Church. He feeds us abundantly with his own body and blood. He forgives our misdeeds and leads us to our eternal home.

“I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep,” says the Lord. As our good shepherd, Jesus sacrificed himself to free us from our sins. He did it ‘of his own will.’ Not that we deserved it, but he did it out of love and concern for us. He took upon himself our infirmities; though enthroned in glory, he stripped himself of it and became one of us.

Ordinary shepherd do love their sheep, feed them, protect them, but once they die the sheep will loose them. Not so with Jesus, the ‘good shepherd.’ Though he died for his sheep, he ever lives with them, ever feeds them, defends and feeds them with his own body and blood. There lies the uniqueness of Jesus, the good shepherd. He is the way, life and the resurrection of his sheep.

If Jesus has done so much for us, it is appropriate to ask ourselves whether we are faithful sheep of Jesus. We agree that Jesus is the good shepherd: he has done marvels for us. But what do we do for him? Do we follow Jesus, the good shepherd? Do we accept him, his word and his deed in the Sacraments? Do we come back to him if we happen to go astray? Are we grateful to Jesus for the gifts he offers us? Do we live like the good sheep of the ‘good shepherd?” Are we ready to share our life with others as the good shepherd did at the cost of his own life?

The image of the shepherd, as Jesus presents himself, indicates Jesus’ love and concern for us. Jesus suffered, died and rose again from the dead to make us sharers of the Father’s love. Can I say truly and sincerely that the risen Lord is our ‘Good Shepherd?’

“What the sun is to a flower, so is Jesus to me.” Alfred Tennyson

HAVE A GREAT WEEK Fr. Thomas