JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday. In the Gospel of John 10:1-10 Jesus presents Himself as the GOOD SHEPHERD. The most consoling thing He says in this Gospel is that he calls his own (that’s us!) by name. He knows each of us personally, and he loves us with a personal love. He is not simply the leader of the masses who is interested in the response of the group. He is personally interested in each of us. Someone has said that there is nothing sweeter to the ears of a person than the sound of his own name. Jesus calls each of us by name. What the Lord declares in the book of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus can also say of each one of us: “I have called you by name – you are mine (Isaiah 43:1). I have written your name on the palms of my hands” (Isaiah 49:16).

One of the best ways of growing in genuine and healthy self-love is by thinking of Christ watching over us and gazing at us with love. We are lovable because he loves us! The one who loves us is not only the most admirable of human leaders but the Son of God and true God Himself. This love calls for a response. Jesus himself describes the response of those who belong to him: “the sheep hears his voice...”

Jesus is aware that there are many competing voices calling for our allegiance. There are others who will be pretending to bring us to green pastures but in reality are thieves who want only to get what we have, or worse, get us for their own selfish purposes. These are thieves. They are not after the welfare of those whom they seduce and to whom they promise gifts or happiness. They are only after their own interests. The Lord says: “The thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy.” In contrast, Jesus assures us at the conclusion of the Gospel, “I came that they might have life and have it to the full.”

That is the dream of Jesus for each of us. He does not want us only to survive. For, as Telly Savalas says at the end of an episode in the TV series, Kojak, “Survive” What a terrible way to be! Jesus wants us to develop our full human potential, and indeed to enter into that personal relationship with him and his Father that spells eternal life for us (Jn. 17: 1-3}. Actually, later in John 10, Jesus says explicitly that He is willing to die for his sheep. And that is exactly what he did for us all. That is the example he left for those who are called to shepherd their people either as Church leaders or government officials.

A story is told of a stage actor who was asked to recite before an audience PSALM 23, on the Lord as our SHEPHERD. He did so with masterful diction and with emotion. The audience applauded him lengthily. But the actor saw an old priest in the audience, and he requested him to come up and recite the same psalm. The priest did so with intense feeling, which left everyone in silent awe. After his recitation, the actor told the audience, “Let us give a standing ovation for this priest. I know the psalm on the Good Shepherd. He knows his SHEPHERD.”

May we also come to know JESUS, OUR SHEPHERD! The Call to Stewardship: Stewardship plays an important role in the lives of people who seek to follow Christ. In particular, as we have said; Christians must be stewards of their personal vocations, for it is in these that show how, according to the circumstances of their individual lives, God wants them to cherish and serve a broad range of interests and concerns: life and health, along with their own intellectual and spiritual well-being.

This Sunday is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As we have in our General Intercessions, we continue to pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life be granted in our families, from among our children and grandchildren and even in our great—grandchildren. The other days of the week are optional memorials of saints. The optional memorial of Our Lady of Fatima falls on a Saturday, May 13th. This is all for now, watch for the next bulletin.

Your Priest –

Servant and Parochial Administrator,

Fr. Reggie