“I know them and they follow Me” Acts 13:14,43-52; Rev 7:9,14b-17; Jn 10:27-30 (Easter 4/ C)

 

“I know them and they follow Me”

Acts 13:14,43-52; Rev 7:9,14b-17; Jn 10:27-30 (Easter 4/ C)

“the elect look upon the face of God” (Divine Office)

 

The fourth Sunday of Easter is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus challenges his authority by calling himself the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11). Most vocations to a life of service are nurtured from a family to the Universal Church, from a Daddy in a family to the pope in the universal Church. The French Jesuit, scientist, and philosopher, Teilhard de Chardin, once said, “It was in my family that I became who I am. Most of my opinions, of my likes and dislikes, of my values and judgments, were molded by the family I came from.” Parents remain the most important shepherds of the faith. In fulfilling this role, parents or shepherds should sow the seeds of Jesus’ call that will serve the spiritual needs of the generations.  

God uses the image of a shepherd to describe his covenant relationship and care for his chosen people (Ps 80:1 and 100:3). God called David, who shepherded his father's flock in his youth, to be the anointed king shepherding his people Israel (Ezk 37:24). Jesus, God’s anointed King, from the tribe of David, called himself the Good Shepherd of all the people entrusted to his care (Jn 10:29). Peter the Apostle tells us that the Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1 Pt 2:25). He keeps a close and personal watch over every one of his sheep entrusted to him. He calls each of us personally by name to follow him, protecting us from the snares of our enemy, Satan (Jn 8:44). The Lord leads us to good pastures, the Holy Spirit (Jn 4:14; 7:38-39). If we feed on his word and drink from the living water of the Holy Spirit, we will find the nourishment and strength we need to live each day for his glory and honor.

Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD) says that the word hear implies obedience to what Jesus says. People who hear him belong to him. No one is entirely unknown to Jesus, but to be known is to become part of his family. Therefore, when Jesus says, “I know mine” (Jn 10:27), he means he will receive us and give us a permanent mystical relationship with himself. Since he became like one of us, he has made all human beings his relatives, sharing the same human nature. The concept of a unified human race in Christ emphasizes the inherent dignity of all human beings and the importance of social justice (Rerum Novarum - Pope Leo XIII), too. We are all united to Christ in a mystical relationship because of his incarnation. Yet those who do not preserve the likeness of his holiness are alienated from him... “My sheep follow me,” says Christ. By the grace of God, we are no longer subject to the shadows of the devil but “children of God” (Mt 5:9).

Saint Augustine says, “God will not leave you if you do not leave him”. He will not abandon us if we do not abandon him. Let us not blame God, nor the Church, nor others, because the problem of our fidelity is ours. God does not deny his grace to anyone. This is our strength to hold fast to God’s grace. It is not a merit of ours. We have simply been “graced.”  Those who are consciously in communion with Jesus will have the lasting joy of belonging to Jesus. May the infallible teaching of Pope Leo XIV be our strength. 

“Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith,..” (Divine Office)