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4th Sunday of Easter
Reading I: Acts 2:14,36-41 II: 1Peter 2:20-25

Gospel
John 10:1-10

¹ "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber;
² but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
³ To him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
⁵ A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."
⁶ This figure Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.
⁷ So Jesus again said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.
⁸ All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them.
⁹ I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

Interesting Details

In this passage Jesus is the sheepgate, not the good shepherd (that comes later in Jn 10:11-16).
So who are the shepherds here? They are the leaders of the Church.
Shepherds normally walk behind the sheep and urge them forward, but some shepherds walk ahead and call them with a distinct cry ("they recognize his voice").
In Numbers 27:17 Moses asked God to give the people a leader so that the community would not be like "sheep without a shepherd."

One Main Point

Jesus is the sheepgate.

Every family then had a flock of sheep, but extended families keep their flocks together in one pen. A gatekeeper must know everyone in the extended family. The good shepherd leads the flock in and out of this gate.

Reflections

Imagine the state of the pen with Jesus as the sheepgate and his loving, faithful disciples as the good shepherds. What role do I play in the "pen" that is the community?
When I participate in the activities of the Church, do I enter through Jesus and act out of love, or do I steal for my own pride, causing conflicts and hatred?

Sunday, May 11, 2014
Fourth Sunday of Easter

First Reading:
Psalm:
Second Reading:
Gospel:

Acts 2:14, 36-41
Psalm 23:1-6
1 Peter 2:20-25
John 10:1-10

When we come to the sign of the Lord in the sacrament of baptism we are freed of these chains and liberated by the blood of Christ and by his name. Therefore, beloved, we are washed clean but once; we are freed only once; we are received into the immortal kingdom once and for all. Once and for all are they happy whose sins are forgiven and whose stains are blotted out. Hold fast to what you have received; preserve it joyfully; sin no more. Keep yourselves as children cleansed by that sacrament and made spotless for the day of the Lord.

-- St. Pacian