FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
Hear the Shepherd’s Voice
It is God our Father himself who has taken the initiative to love us. His love keeps calling each of us personally, and we hear his voice particularly through Jesus, our Good Shepherd, calling us. Do we hear his voice in our prayer, in the words he speaks to us in the Scriptures, or when he speaks to us from heart to heart in the Eucharistic celebration? And let us not forget too that Jesus speaks to us in the Church that appeals to us in the people who cry out their needs and love to us.
Reading 1: Acts 2:14a, 36-41
14-21 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency:
29-36 “Dear friends, let me be completely frank with you. Our ancestor David is dead and buried—his tomb is in plain sight today. But being also a prophet and knowing that God had solemnly sworn that a descendant of his would rule his kingdom, seeing far ahead, he talked of the resurrection of the Messiah—‘no trip to Hades, no stench of death.’ This Jesus, God raised up. And every one of us here is a witness to it. Then, raised to the heights at the right hand of God and receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he poured out the Spirit he had just received. That is what you see and hear. For David himself did not ascend to heaven, but he did say,
God said to my Master, “Sit at my right hand
Until I make your enemies a stool for resting your feet.”
“All Israel, then, know this: There’s no longer room for doubt—God made him Master and Messiah, this Jesus whom you killed on a cross.”
37 Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?”
38-39 Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”
40 He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!”
41-42 That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up.
Reading 2: 1 Pt 2:20b-25
18-20 You who are servants, be good servants to your masters—not just to good masters, but also to bad ones. What counts is that you put up with it for God’s sake when you’re treated badly for no good reason. There’s no particular virtue in accepting punishment that you well deserve. But if you’re treated badly for good behavior and continue in spite of it to be a good servant, that is what counts with God.
21-25 This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step.
He never did one thing wrong,
Not once said anything amiss.
They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.
Gospel: Jn 10:1-10
1-5 “Let me set this before you as plainly as I can. If a person climbs over or through the fence of a sheep pen instead of going through the gate, you know he’s up to no good—a sheep rustler! The shepherd walks right up to the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate to him and the sheep recognize his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he gets them all out, he leads them and they follow because they are familiar with his voice. They won’t follow a stranger’s voice but will scatter because they aren’t used to the sound of it.”
6-10 Jesus told this simple story, but they had no idea what he was talking about. So he tried again. “I’ll be explicit, then. I am the Gate for the sheep. All those others are up to no good—sheep rustlers, every one of them. But the sheep didn’t listen to them. I am the Gate. Anyone who goes through me will be cared for—will freely go in and out, and find pasture. A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
Prayer
Let us pray to God
that we may always listen to the voice
of Jesus, our Good Shepherd
(pause)
Lord our God, almighty and loving Father,
you have given us, your people,
a reliable and caring guide
to lead us to you and to one another,
your Son and our Good Shepherd Jesus Christ.
Stir our hearts with the words of the Gospel
as the message of good news for us today.
and help us to hear God’s voice also
in the silence of our faith,
in the groaning of our miseries,
and in the words of encouragement and joy
of the shepherds of your Church
and of everyone who has a good word for us.
For there too speaks and calls
our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Reflection:
30 April 2023
John 10:1-10
Recognize The Shepherd’s Voice
The 4th Sunday of Easter is celebrated as the Good Shepherd Sunday and today is the 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
A sheepfold in the Palestinian settings of Jesus’ times was an enclosure surrounded by stone walls on which were placed bundles of thorns. Brambles are allowed to grow on them to prevent sheep from exiting and thieves from entering the sheepfold. The enclosure could be in front of a house, built outdoors, or on a mountain slope. Several shepherds could use a single sheepfold built on a mountain slope together to bring their sheep at night; they would take turns staying awake and keeping watch while others slept.
Armed with a stick, the gatekeeper squatted at the entrance to the fold that had no door. In that position, he himself became “the door.” Only those whom he allowed to pass through could approach the sheep. Jesus assumes the role of the one who watches over the sheep-fold; hence, in the second part of today’s Gospel, Jesus says he is “the Gate.”
Upon recognizing the shepherd’s steps and voice, the sheep would immediately follow him when the night was over. From this experience of the people of the land, Jesus narrates this parable.
The true shepherd knows his sheep by their names and calls them “one by one.” For Jesus, an anonymous crowd does not exist. He cares about each of his sheep. He pays attention to each of their gifts, strengths, and weaknesses. This is what we read about God in Isaiah’s prophecy: “He carries the lambs in his bosom, gently leading those that are with young” (Is 40:11). He understands their difficulties and helps and respects them.
There are also thieves and bandits around. Who are they? It could be the religious and political leaders who wear the mask of shepherds but in reality, are greedy for dominance and exploitation; their methods of doing so are violence and lies. Jesus uses three verbs to summarise their works of death: They steal, kill and destroy.
Today’s Gospel emphasizes the “voice of the shepherd,” which is heard, recognised, and immediately distinguished from that of strangers. After the resurrection, the disciples could not recognize Jesus when they saw him face to face. He was mistaken for a wayfarer, a ghost, or a gardener, but His voice was unmistakable, and they recognized him.
The Good Shepherd Sunday is a reminder and an invitation for every disciple of Jesus to cultivate a heart of a true shepherd who is not satisfied with fulfilling the minimum requirements. We are all shepherds. Gospel warns us not to behave like the hired hands who always have much to complain about and are satisfied with fulfilling the given duties.