4th SUNDAY of EASTER, year ’B’
“The thief comes only to steal and to destroy, I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full. I am the good shepherd : the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep; he runs away because he is only a hired man and has no concern for the sheep.”
Jesus loves those men and women who come to him having lost their way, and also those who are his chosen ones. He compares himself to the good shepherd, ready to give his life. in the Mission of Jesus he takes our life very seriously. Thus we realise just how much God loves us.“My beloved, see how great the love with which the Father loves you is, he wanted us to be called children of God”.Jesus is the true shepherd who committed himself right to the end, taking upon him “the sins of the world”, and the weakness of the poorest people. Son of Go, he died on the Cross to join us and save us who refuse to let ourselves be loved by God!The word rings true,we hear it as the provocation of the Infinite Love of God to be received.To let ourselves be loved by God, to let ourselves be transformed by him in order to have Life so that we be called children of God“and so we are!” “See how great the Love the Father loves us with!” The Father has given us his Son Jesus so as to save us.
“I am the Good Shepherd; I know my own and my own know me just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep.And there are other sheep I have that are not of this fold, and I must lead these too.They too will listen to my voice, will be only one flock,one shepherd.”
Faced with danger, Jesus will not run away like a hired shepherd,he will die, but his death will be a victory that will gather together his dispersed flock. The true shepherd “know his own and his own know him”, and this reciprocity of love is anagalous to that of Jesus with the Father.Sure of having a price for the Pastor, each sheep will always find a place in the sheephfold.Peter followed Jesus when all was going well! It’s all too much for him when Jesus is taken before the high priest and has to carry his cross. He will say ’I don’t know that man!’ We say the same thing! After he had denied Jesus , Peter will contemplate his gaze that of the Good Shepherd, the look of someone who has been hurt by rejection and who has kept in his Heart the same love. Later on,
Peter will say, ’ Jesus is the stone rejected by the builders that has become the corner stone…and His Name given to men is the only one that can save us.We are his people healed by the Love of God manifested in Jesus.
The Father loves me because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me; I lay it down of my own free willpower and as I have powerto lay it down, so I have power to take it up again ; and this is the commandment I have received from my Father."
Jesus is the universal shepherd, if we follow this shepherd, we need to join him endlessly in the gift of himself.one takes my life, it is I who give it.’We can enter into the Mission of the Good Shepherd following Jesus. In this loving compassion for our brothers, we can take our place with him for the mission ’ I have other sheep that are not of this fold and I must lead these too ’, says Jesus.
Do I really want to be loved by God so as to follow Jesus? Do I really want to see just how much Jesus loves me?Like Peter, we continue on this path of healing, for we are poor and wounde like him! And so we enter into the Wound of God’s Heart for us. Healed by this love and transformed, we become healers for our people! " He who is thirsty, come to me and drink,from his heart there will burst forths springs of living water!’We announce the mystery of Jesus the Good Shepherd who came to defend the weakest, smallest and poorest sheep.