May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
On the fourth Sunday of the Easter Season, we celebrate Good
Shepherd Sunday. Traditionally, on this
Sunday, the Pope ordains new priests for the Diocese of Rome and invites the
whole world to pray for an increase of vocations to the priesthood. When we pray for an increase of vocations to
the priesthood, we are praying that the men whom the Father is calling will
respond with joyful generosity. We are
praying that those who have heard the call of the Father will accept the
invitation to share in the priesthood of the Son. The priesthood of the Lord Jesus is the
ministry of the Good Shepherd.
In our brief reading from the Gospel of John today, we hear a
summary of the ministry of the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd speaks to the flock, because they hear his voice. The Good Shepherd knows the flock and he
recognizes each of them. The Good
Shepherd leads the flock, because they follow him. And the Good Shepherd gives to the flock
eternal life. He speaks and he knows and
he leads and he gives.
In our reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we hear of the
preaching of Paul and Barnabas in the city of Antioch. As they did in each city during their
missionary journey, they first preached in the synagogue. And in each city, after they were rejected in
the synagogue, they preached the good news of salvation and the love of God for
all people to the Gentiles. The
preaching of Paul and Barnabas, the preaching of Peter and the other apostles,
the preaching of the Pope and the Bishop and the preaching of your pastor, is
to be an echo of the voice of the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd knows the members of his flock. He recognizes that the members of the flock
were given to him by the Father. Each
member of the flock is a gift of the Father to the Son, and the Son knows us,
and loves us, and gives us back to the Father.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord Jesus recognizes each of us as the precious
gift. He calls us to stand with him in
the white robes of our baptismal dignity and hold the palm branches of our
sufferings and sacrifices. The Good
Shepherd leads us to the throne of God and to the Temple of the heavenly
glory. He washes us to be clean in his
own blood. He leads us to the springs of
life-giving waters and he wipes away every tear from our eyes. The Good Shepherd leads the flock to worship
the Father in spirit and in truth.
And the Good Shepherd gives eternal life to the members of his
flock. He gives eternal life to those who
are willing to hear his voice. He gives eternal
life to those who want to be recognized as members of the flock. Christ will invite you, but he will not force you.
The eyes of the Good Shepherd look upon each
of you with a love that willingly suffers the indignity of the manger and the isolation
of the cross. Christ offers you eternal life
on a future day when he calls you unto himself. Christ offers you a share in eternal life today
in the sacraments that he gave to his Church. In every sacrament we encounter the Risen Lord.
In every sacrament, he speaks to each of
us. He knows and he recognizes each of us.
He leads each of us to his open heart, and
he gives his very life, his eternal life, to each of us.
As we now approach the throne of the Lamb of God, let us listen
for the voice of the Good Shepherd. Let us
follow him to the temple of the Father’s glory. And let us give ourselves completely and generously
to the Lord Jesus, as he gives himself completely and generously to us. Amen.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic
Church, Monroe, NC
