Only the true Shepherd, even to the point of laying down His own life for their sake.

Jesus calls himself the “gate” in today’s Gospel,

How often do we think of Jesus as someone who is “present” with us, walking with us,

accompanying us, comforting and consoling us, when the storms of life come our way?

Jesus, the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep,

is also the ever-present friend who never leaves us to face our perils alone.

 

 

＊＊＊ 1st Reading ＊＊＊     

Acts 11:1-18*

News came to the apostles

And the brothers and sisters in Judea that even foreigners had received the Word of God. So, when Peter went up to Jerusalem, these Jewish believers began to argue with him, "You went to the home of uncircumcised people and ate with them!"

 

So Peter began to give them the facts as they had happened, "I was at prayer in the city of Joppa when, in a trance, I saw a vision. Something like a large sheet came down from the sky and drew near to me, landing on the ground by its four corners. As I stared at it, I saw four-legged creatures of the earth, wild beasts and reptiles, and birds of the sky.

 

Then I heard a voice saying to me: 'Get up, Peter, kill and eat!' I replied, 'Certainly not, Lord! No common or unclean creature has ever entered my mouth. A second time the voice from the heavens spoke, 'What God has made clean, you must not call unclean.' This happened three times, and then it was all drawn up into the sky. At that moment three men, who had been sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were staying. The Spirit instructed me to go with them without hesitation; (...)

 

When they heard this they set their minds at rest and praised God saying, "Then God has granted life giving repentance to the pagan nations as well."

 

Ps 42:2-3:43:3-4 Athirst is my soul for the living God.

 

＊＊＊ Gospel ＊＊＊      

John 10:1-10

Truly, I say to you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate, but climbs in some other way, is a thief and a robber. But the shepherd of the sheep enters by the gate. The keeper opens the gate to him and the sheep hear his voice; he calls each of his sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but rather they will run away from him, because they don't recognize a stranger's voice.

 

Jesus used this comparison, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

 

So Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, I am the gate of the sheep. All who came were thieves and robbers, and the sheep did not hear them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved; he will go in and out freely and find food.

 

The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, life in all its fullness."

 

Gospel Reflection ：

 

"Our God Saves" 

In today's Gospel, Jesus identified himself as the gate of the sheepfold. We may imagine Jesus, as the good shepherd, standing or sitting by the gate of the sheepfold while trying to protect the sheep from the robbers. The good shepherd's relationship with his sheep prompts him to be willing to lay down his life for his sheep. The laying down of the life of the good shepherd in order to give life to the sheep is a choice.

 

Should we be following Jesus, our good shepherd. Our choices must be well-discerned in favor of providing conditions for life to flourish. Our condition, with regard to the present environmental problems, appears to be the opposite of the condition which the good shepherd provides. Today is Earth Day. We may ask ourselves if the choices we make every day contribute to the flourishing of life on earth or to the worsening of our climate crisis.