April 30
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Good Shepherd Sunday
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.”
Readings
Reflection
The fourth Sunday of Easter is celebrated as “Good Shepherd Sunday” and after hearing the readings today, we can easily understand why. Good Shepherd Sunday is an invitation for us to reflect on what tremendous love and sacrifice has been shown us by Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
In a particular way, this is also a Sunday where we intentionally pray for priests and those discerning the vocation to the priesthood. We hear proclaimed boldly the incredible standard your priests must live up to as they are called to radically imitate Jesus the High Priest and Good Shepherd. Unlike the priests of the Levitical covenant, Jesus not only makes the offering, he himself became the offering on the cross. Unlike the typical shepherd of the time, Jesus throws all concern for himself aside to care for and seek out his sheep. Neither would’ve made rational sense. Yet the radical laying down of one’s life, this seemingly impossible expectation of love is the gateway to finding the fullness of life.
Not only does Jesus teach us this truth in parable, but he actually embodies it. Peter (in the second reading) applies the fulfillment of Isaiah’s Servant of the Lord to the sacrificial love that we received from Jesus on the Cross: “Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When he was insulted, he returned no insult, when he suffered, he did not threaten…he himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
To the rest of the world or even to our own human perspective of this, it is easy for us to see this as nothing but weakness. Really, nothing about imitating this love is attractive to us. However, when you consider the divinity of Jesus, and his ability to have saved us in any way possible…it is incredible that he chose to suffer. He chose not to exercise force or retaliate with violence, but rather he endured unfathomable suffering out of love for us, out of love for you. He wants you to belong to his flock and to know that he is always seeking you. In this paradox, Jesus shows incredible strength to offer his life in this way, and by this ‘example’ he calls out from us this same level of strength to live differently in this life and to imitate his gift of self. When we pour out ourselves in love for another, rather than losing our life, we find it—this is not weakness, but rather grace-filled, divine strength.
Today on Good Shepherd Sunday, let’s respond anew to the invitation to pray fervently that those whom the Lord has called for love and service to his flock, through the ministerial priesthood, may boldly imitate the Good Shepherd. Let’s also pray for ourselves that we may learn to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd more and more who calls all of us to belong to him and to find abundance of life in his flock. Recognizing his voice gives us confidence that we will always know and have his constant protection.
Peace,
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