I Came So That They Might Have Life And Have It More Abundantly

04-30-2023Weekly ReflectionFr. Manasseh Iorchir, VC

The Fourth Sunday of Easter has come to be known as Good Shepherd Sunday, chiefly because on the fourth Sunday of Easter each year, the Gospel Reading is taken from chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel where Jesus declared Himself the Good Shepherd. We can observe that the readings revolve around the theme of the shepherd hood of Christ and its consequence on all of us who make up His living flock.

The First Reading presents to us the reaction of the people to the Sermon delivered by Simon Peter, the leader of the Apostles on the day the Holy Spirit descended on them. Peter made them understand that God has made both the Lord and Christ, Jesus whom they had crucified. This resonated with the people and they reacted by demanding to know what they needed to do in order to appropriate to themselves the salvation that Jesus had already won for all. When we listen to the Word of God, God speaks to us, He stirs our hearts towards repentance so that we can realize where and how we have drifted away from His love and seek a return. Our response to the cutting of our hearts by the sword of God’s Word should always be: what shall we do to return to the right relationship with God and neighbor? What do I need to do to return back to a true sheep in the flock of Christ? It is instructive that while 3,000 people needed just one sermon from Peter on the day of Pentecost in order to repent, people now require numerous sermons to find the truth.

In the Second Reading, taken from the First Letter of St. Peter, the Apostle reminds us that we were like sheep that went astray, but through the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, we “have now returned to the Shepherd and guardian of your souls.” Thus, St. Peter encourages all Christians to follow the example of Jesus Christ in the face of persecution.

The Gospel passage this weekend presents the use of the strong metaphors of Shepherd and Gate to describe Christ’s relationship with us. He is the legitimate Shepherd who knows and is known by His sheep. He comes in through the gate, He calls His sheep by name, the sheep hear His voice and lets Him lead them out to pasture. Jesus does not seek a relationship with us to benefit from us. In fact, we, the flock, are the ones who truly benefit from being the flock of Christ. We receive from Him the fruits of the Holy Spirit which He is willing to grant us in abundance if we sustain the right relationship with Him.

If Christ is our Shepherd, and we are the sheep of His flock, we should be willing to do what sheep do: trust and follow the shepherd. We are invited to show compassion, be kind, share in the joys and sorrows of others, lend the helping hand to those who need help and share with others the love that our encounter with the resurrected Christ has graciously bestowed upon us. This is precisely what St. Peter exhorted the people who were present at the Pentecost event in Jerusalem to do after they requested for his counsel. “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

May the Holy Spirit bring us all into the protective guardians of Christ the Good Shepherd who never leaves His flock unattended. Please be kind and may God bless you.

Fr. Manasseh