April 26, 2015 – Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4: 8-12; Ps 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29; 1 Jn 3: 1-2; Jn 10: 11-18
Traditionally, the Fourth Sunday of Easter (today) is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. Christ tells us in today’s Gospel from John, “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.” The image of Christ as the shepherd is one of the oldest in the Church. Even in the Catacombs there is an ancient drawing of Christ carrying a sheep on his shoulders.
Sometimes it is difficult for us to view ourselves as sheep. There is something passive and reliant in that image which may bother our sense of independence. However, if we are honest with ourselves, we know that we need the Lord’s help and guidance. An essential part of living a stewardship way of life is placing our lives in the hands of our Good Shepherd nonetheless.
Throughout this Easter Season we celebrate that one mystery — that Christ gave His life for us on the Cross. If we accept the fact that He is our Savior and that He is our Shepherd, we are better able to serve as shepherds to one another. Stewardship is a life of giving self, a life of self-giving. We must constantly work to live up to the Lord’s expectations of us, but we also must always know that He is our shepherd, our Good Shepherd, and He is always there for us.
