The image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd is comforting; it assures us we are loved, bolsters our faith, and fills us with hope.

Our familiarity with the Bible enables us to recall:

• the time Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for the vast crowd because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and

• Jesus telling us the Good Shepherd will keep searching for a lost sheep until he finds it. When he finds it, he sets it on His shoulders and, rejoicing, brings it safely home.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaims He is both the Shepherd of and the Gate for the sheep. Throughout the narrative Our Lord declares His sole purpose in coming is His concern for the welfare of each one of us, the sheep of His fold. He knows us and calls us by name so we will follow Him, “have life, and have it more abundantly.”

The well known Responsorial Psalm (“the Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”) points out many ways Our Lord is with us on life’s journey. He leads us to beautiful pastures and restful waters for the healing and renewal we need. He guides us along difficult paths; when we lose our way or our vision is flawed or shortsighted, he rescues and enlightens us, pointing us in the right direction. He wants us to dwell forever in His Home so we can enjoy the banquet He has prepared for us.

From his baptism at the Jordan to His death on Calvary, Jesus’ every action bore witness to the depth of His love for us and His commitment to save us. In First Peter we read, “When He was insulted, He returned no insult; when he suffered, He did not threaten; instead, He handed Himself over to the one who judges justly. He bore our sins in His body upon the cross. By His wounds you have been healed.”

What Jesus endured for us proved His love is real. The ordeal of His passion and death is a lesson in love which teaches us how costly and demanding genuine concern for others can be.

How do we respond to and show gratitude for Christ’s sacrificial love?

• During his speech in Acts, Peter urges anyone of us who would be Jesus’ followers to repent and be baptized in His name and save ourselves from the corruption that is all about us.

• In his Letter, Peter tells us, “If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His footsteps.” Grateful that we have been saved and freed from sin and corruption, we should live in righteousness.

When we live righteously, we witness to our belief in Our Lord and to the power of His abiding love and grace in our lives. We inspire others to seek out Jesus the Good Shepherd, entrust themselves to His care, and allow Him to guide them on their pilgrimage through this world to the next.

This Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally a day of prayer for vocations. It’s hard to imagine Jesus, whose heart was moved with pity for the vast crowd, would not be calling men and women to minister to people of our day who are lost, searching for meaning, purpose and direction in their lives, or are bereft of spiritual and moral values.

The cry for more priests and deacons to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments that sustain us is ongoing. Great is the need for consecrated religious who are willing to devote their lives to Jesus Christ as they serve His people. The contribution of lay men and women, single and married, is vital to the success and effectiveness of Church apostolates and programs.

Whatever our vocation or state in life, once we answer Our Lord’s call to follow and witness to Him, we increase the likelihood that the men and women of the 21st century will be aware of God’s love for them, and will experience the affirming and uplifting values of the Gospel in action. We hope they will choose to live by these values and reject what the world offers – allurements and enticements which, though attractive, can lead them astray and destroy them.

As we worship this Sunday, let us offer prayers of petition for an increase in vocations in every area of ministry and prayers of thanksgiving that we have been called to witness to someone who has only our best interests, and the best interests of every human being, at heart – Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd.

   Readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter
   Acts 2:14a, 36-41
   1 Peter 2:20b-25
   John 10:1 - 10