Sunday, April 30, 2023
READINGS: ACTS 2:14A, 36-41; PS 23:1-3A, 3B4-6; 1 PT 2:20B-25; JN 10:1-10
The readings on the Fourth Sunday of Easter offer a glimpse into the heart of Jesus Christ, our loving Savior. He is the Good Shepherd, and we can confidently place our trust in Him as we live our Christian walk.
This endearing image of Jesus as our shepherd, and his personal love for each one of us, is described in our passage from John’s Gospel, through the words of Jesus himself. Here we read Jesus’ description of himself as the “Good Shepherd.” He says of himself, “The sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.”
This aspect of our Lord’s tender and personal love for each one of us is a compelling reason to embrace our Catholic faith — in the offering of our time, talent, and treasure to Him, we can express our gratitude to him for the incomprehensible love he has for us.
Embracing this way of life certainly requires trust on our part. But Christ has proven himself worthy of our trust. He “bore our sins in his body.” He calls himself our shepherd and he offers himself as the guardian of our souls. He has withheld nothing of himself and his goodness from us. He would never ask anything of us that would bring us harm. He tells us “I came so that you might have life and have it more abundantly.”
This Easter season, let us resolve to entrust ourselves and our lives gratefully to him.