In His flock

4th Sunday of Easter
03 May 2009


The Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

First reading Acts 4:8-12
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter said: ‘Rulers of the people, and elders! If you are questioning us today about an act of kindness to a cripple, and asking us how he was healed, then I am glad to tell you all, and would indeed be glad to tell the whole people of Israel, that it was by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the one you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by this name and by no other that this man is able to stand up perfectly healthy, here in your presence, today. This is the stone rejected by you the builders, but which has proved to be the keystone. For of all the names in the world given to men, this is the only one by which we can be saved.’

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 117:1,8-9,21-23,26,28-29

Second reading 1 John 3:1-2
Think of the love that the Father has lavished on us,
by letting us be called God’s children;
and that is what we are.
Because the world refused to acknowledge him,
therefore it does not acknowledge us.
My dear people, we are already the children of God
but what we are to be in the future has not yet been revealed;
all we know is, that when it is revealed
we shall be like him
because we shall see him as he really is.

Gospel John 10:11-18
Jesus said:
‘I am the good shepherd:
the good shepherd is one who lays down his life for his sheep.
The hired man, since he is not the shepherd
and the sheep do not belong to him,
abandons the sheep and runs away
as soon as he sees a wolf coming,
and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep;
this is because he is only a hired man
and has no concern for the sheep.
‘I am the good shepherd;
I know my own
and my own know me,
just as the Father knows me
and I know the Father;
and I lay down my life for my sheep.
And there are other sheep I have
that are not of this fold,
and these I have to lead as well.
They too will listen to my voice,
and there will be only one flock,
and one shepherd.
‘The Father loves me,
because I lay down my life
in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me;
I lay it down of my own free will,
and as it is in my power to lay it down,
so it is in my power to take it up again;
and this is the command I have been given by my Father.’

Reflection
by Grace Madrinan

I can’t imagine how difficult it is to be a shepherd. He led a nomadic life, spending all of his life watching over his flock, keeping them safe from predators. He led them to greener pastures, where food and water is in abundance. He knew each one of them; I bet he knew each one of them by smell!

No wonder our Lord Jesus Christ identified Himself as the Good Shepherd. His watchful eye knew the strands of our hair; our actions are not hidden from Him. We are led in abundance, every blessing overflowing. No harm shall befall us all the days of our lives as long as we remain in His flock.

I used to think that the Shepherd need not worry about me. Although I acknowledge that I need Him, I was proud to say that I will not stray away from the flock. Or even if I stay a few steps behind, I know my way back because I know His voice. I thought I was ‘spiritual’ enough.

Or so I thought. Only until I was almost snatched by a ‘wolf’ that I finally realized I needed to be under His care – always. I can’t be too overly confident. I need to be vigilant to keep my values on guard and ask for the Shepherd’s guidance to lead me to the right path. Good thing, our Lord is always on guard and He never let me out of His sight. He was able to catch me before I fell on a deep pit.





We thank You, Father, for giving us Your Son, Jesus Christ as our Savior and Good Shepherd. Grant that we may know His voice and remain in His flock. Amen.