4th Sunday of Easter
By Fr. Chinnappan Pelavendran
Many leaders work for money and without any concern for people. Some of them take advantage of people for their selfish motives. But not Jesus. He has shown us the kind of leadership everyone needs to follow. First, He knew His followers by heart. Then He served them, taught them, and trained them. He didn’t run away from them even when His own life was in danger.
“I am the good shepherd.” Jesus goes on to describe what a good shepherd does: He lays down his life for his sheep. He knows his sheep by name and his sheep know him. They are not just numbers or faceless beings; they are deeply known and cared for. This teaches us about the value of individual attention and recognition. There is a close relationship between masters and their animals. They speak or give signs to the animals and the animals understand and follow instructions. The masters keep watch over the animals and do everything they can to protect their animals from any kind of danger.
Jesus is our shepherd and laid down his life to save us. He speaks to us through the Scripture. In John 10:5 and 27, Jesus says, “They will never follow a stranger; in fact, they run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” In Jesus’ voice are words of peace, love, faith, healing, unity, mercy, justice, truth, repentance, holiness, and eternal life. The good shepherd loves his sheep and makes sacrifices. Jesus says that other sheep do not belong to His fold. These people He must lead too. It does not matter if they reject Him again and again. One day, they too will know Jesus as their good shepherd.
As we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, let us ask the Lord that we may be his good sheep, listening attentively to his voice, and following his example of self-giving love. Jesus gives us the example of a good shepherd who shows his concern and care for his sheep. Here we have Jesus as our model who offered to sacrifice his life for his chosen ones. He is the one who goes after the lost sheep leaving the ninety-nine to bring it back to the fold.
Today, let’s pray for our spiritual shepherds: the pope, the bishops, the priests, and the religious. We pray for our first shepherds, our parents, and our second shepherds, our teachers. We pray for our political and economic shepherds. We pray for shepherds in various institutions and establishments. May they all be guided by the voice of the Good Shepherd. Jesus did not use his authority and Divine power to rule and control people, but to set them free. Let us approach Jesus with trusting Faith so that he may free us from evil.
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