Faith-Jesus as Gate and Shepherd

HOMILY SUNDAY EASTER 04 – A

Jesus – Shepherd and Gate:

Day of Prayer for Vocations

(Acts 2:14a, 36b-41; Psalm 23; 1 Peter 2:20-25; Jn 10:1-10)

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 Do you have a picture of Jesus hanging on the wall in your home? If so, what image is it? Many have the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Surely some have Jesus as the Good Shepherd.

Jesus gave himself many titles while he was among his disciples and ministering to the people of his day. Today, we see him identified as Lord and Messiah, and as both Gate and Shepherd.

Our response to these titles of Jesus should be twofold: to believe in, and worship him as Lord and Messiah, and to follow him as the Gate and the Good Shepherd.

St. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, proclaims Jesus as Lord and Messiah in the first reading. He could not have chosen more appropriate titles to proclaim on that initial proclamation of the Risen Jesus. As Messiah Jesus is the anointed one sent to save us from our sins. As Lord he wants to be the centre of our lives and transform us into his own likeness. Our response is to truly believe in him with all our hearts as Lord and Messiah, worship him and allow him to forgive us, heal us and transform us.

As Gate and Shepherd, we need to study both realities at the time of Jesus. There were two types of sheepfold in Palestine: the first, in the village, was a communal sheepfold with a strong door opened by a chief shepherd’s key; the second, in the fields, was simply a circular enclosure made of a wall of rocks with an opening at one end. The shepherds worked together at night – one watching while the others slept, or one sleeping in the gate to assure the safety of the sheep. That shepherd who slept in the opening became both the shepherd and the gate. Then each morning, the shepherds would call their sheep out to graze.

Building on that reality, Jesus is both gate and shepherd and the only Way; those who come any other way are thieves – Kleptes (used of Judas), a sign of not caring for the poor. Jesus, who knows his sheep, lays down his life for us and gives us access to the Father – abundant life through repentance, forgiveness and the healing gifts of the Holy Spirit.

False shepherds did not have the best interests of the owners nor the sheep at heart, and would be careless in how they handled the sheep. In fact, the title Good Shepherd is a bit of an anomaly. Jesus, however, is different. As the Good Shepherd, he truly cares for the sheep, knows each of us by name, and loves us unconditionally. As the Gate, he is the way into the kingdom of the Father, reveals the Father to us, and allows us access to the Father.

This title of Jesus is all about relationships, mirroring the relationship of the sheep who recognize the shepherd’s voice, and the shepherd who knows the sheep by name. Jesus’ death on the cross reveals his love for the Father, and the Father’ love for us. We get our identity from him, as shepherd and gate – we are those who recognize ourselves as those for whom he died, and who now respond to his voice as his sheep.

The implications for us of all these titles of Jesus – Lord, Messiah, Good Shepherd, Gate are manifold and described in the readings. St. Peter first of all calls us to believe with all our hearts in Jesus as Lord and Messiah. He then asks the people to repent. That means metanoia, a change of direction, a major change or letting go of anything in our lives that might still separate us from following Jesus more closely.

Good spirituality is all about letting go. We are to let go of any sin by especially confessing them and celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation. Then we are to let go of any painful emotions such as anger and resentment by forgiving anyone who has hurt us, and to let go of any defects of character such as false pride, stubbornness and self-righteousness, by humbly asking God to heal us and remove these from our personalities and lives.

To follow Jesus as the Good Shepherd means first of all to develop a prayer life that is based on listening to his Word and worship. This could be bible study, centering prayer leading to contemplation, and celebrating the Eucharist with the community of believers. It means essentially loving and serving one another as a way of expressing who we are – the sheep, followers of Jesus. Certainly, we need to care for and shepherd each other, especially during this time of pandemic.

Today is “Vocations Sunday”. On this day we are especially asked to pray that the Church may be provided with the leaders needed to do its work of spreading the Gospel. Vocation means that God is calling me and has a plan for my life.  It is his plan for my life that will allow me to bless the world with my life and find meaning for myself. We can be inspired by the front-line workers during this pandemic who are risking their lives to care for the sick and provide essential services for all. They have a sense their work is more than a job, that it is a call, and for them we are deeply grateful. Let us pray that young people may likewise be inspired to give their lives in the service of others as priests, religious, and that young couples may have the faith and courage to enter into a lifetime commitment of marriage as a sign of God’s love for us – as marriage is also a vocation.

The Eucharist is a shepherd’s meal, based on the original Passover in Egypt that was eaten standing up, tunics tied for travel, with unleavened bread and the flesh of the Passover Lamb. The angel of death at that meal passed over the homes where the blood of a lamb was smeared. How much more so will the flesh and blood of Christ that we receive, the true Lamb of God, destroy our sin and sinfulness if we put our faith in him and let him into our lives.

So, may our celebration empower us to believe in and worship Jesus as Lord and Messiah, and follow him more closely as the Good Shepherd and the Gate into the Kingdom of the Father.