The longstanding tradition of the Church is to celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter as Good Shepherd Sunday. Obviously, we continue to reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection, but added emphasis is given this weekend to celebrating the Risen Lord as the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.
As we know, the priest in charge of a parish is called pastor because “pastor” means shepherd. As shepherd, he leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects Christ’s sheep, the people of the parish. We do well to pray that all of our pastors heed the call of the Good Shepherd to become good shepherds themselves!
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For further reflection: The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient Jewish dream (often repeated in the Old Testament) of a Good Shepherd. They also wished to include the Gentiles as part of God’s flock. Before coming to Mass this weekend, look at the first reading which the Church gives us (Acts 4, 8-12). St. Peter asserts unequivocally before the Jewish assembly that there is no salvation except through Christ, the Good Shepherd. In essence, St. Peter says that Jesus (and only Jesus) is the answer to the question “why do we do what we do?”
