John 10, 1-10:
Sunday, April 30th, 2023 (4th Easter A)
Good Shepherd Sunday. In the Gospel of John Jesus tells us: “He who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep, and they listen to his voice, he calls them by name and leads them out, he walks before them and they follow him, because they know his voice. They will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers”.
In our society we are used to other people pointing the way out for us to follow. They are what we call “leaders”. And there are leaders in many facets of life: in politics, in health, in religion, in sport, in fashion… For some, they are the best, while others can’t even see them. Some because they lie, others because they defraud, others because they are corrupt, others because they take advantage of others…
“Many offer you the moon to get to power, and when they see themselves at the top, they don’t listen to any complaints, and they treat you with their foot…”, as a song used to say.
This Sunday’s Word of God proposes Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the guide in whom we can place our trust because he will never let us down. He is different from the others because he knows us personally, he is ready to sacrifice himself for his own, he always leads the way. He endorses this with his life. And he calls us to follow him, to also become someone who can show the way to others. Those who are pastors, parents, educators, catechists, leaders or superiors, must be role models for all those who want to live from love and justice, and not from the search for self or for their own convenience.
Juan Ramón Gómez Pascual, cmf
Are you close to a Good Shepherd?
