Scripture Reflections for Fourth Sunday of Easter

"Jesus took up the imagery of shepherds because it was central to the economy of the Jews, but more importantly to their history and religious thought. Many of the great figures of their history and religion had been shepherds at least for part of their lives. The ancient patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all had flocks of sheep. Moses and David both worked as shepherds before they were called to lead God’s people. They were..."

Fr. Andrew Brookes. "Laying Down His Life." Torch. April 20, 2021

"Being compared with sheep is not generally regarded as highly complimentary. As reflected in the phrase ‘as silly as a sheep’, sheep have a reputation for being over-docile, following each other snout-to-tail in an uncritical fashion. There are even those who maintain that speaking of the Church’s faithful as sheep has had, over the centuries, a depressant effect in stifling initiative among the laity. But are these negative qualities of sheep, whether real or alleged,..."

Fr. Aidan Nichols. "Intimately Known." Torch. April 19, 2018

"We say in the creed that Jesus is God. This wasn’t clear at all at first, even to his close friends and followers. He was their Rabbi, their miracle worker, their healer, and preacher; later, to those closest to him, he was anointed Messiah, the King to come, to rescue his People from slavery. They would share the feelings of everyone at the time. God would be ‘on high’. He could be looked up to...."

Fr. Duncan Campbell. "KNOWING AND LOVING JESUS." Torch. April 21, 2015

"'I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me.' Jesus gives us this wonderful image in today's gospel. A lamb picks out the voice of its mother from all the voices in the flock. The attachment of the lamb to the mother is so strong that it is able to distinguish between noises that we could not distinguish. Sheep also learn to recognise the voice of the Shepherd, 'the sheep..."

Fr. David Goodill. "Far from the Passive Crowd." Torch. May 3, 2009

"'I know my own, and my own know me' (John 10:14): these own (whose reciprocal knowledge of him and intimacy he equates with that of his Father and himself) are his disciples. The culmination of his life opens in 13:1: Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. And so in token of the love for them their Shepherd washes their feet; he relates his last discourse; and..."

Fr. Theodore Taylor. "Sheep become Shepherds." Torch. May 7, 2006

"On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, called Good Shepherd Sunday, we continue to reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection. This is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Today, we celebrate the risen Lord as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. The priest in charge of a parish is called pastor because “pastor” means shepherd. As shepherd, he leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects Christ’s sheep, the..."

Father Lawrence Obilor. "Jesus our wounded Shepherd." A Catholic Moment. April 25, 2021

"Why should Jesus be the one we should follow? Why should we place absolute trust in his voice among all the voices and noise we hear in our world? Why should he be the one equipped to be our Good Shepherd, the one to lead us to pasture? Our second reading proclaimed to us the promise of our ultimate goal. The glory of this final destination is something that escapes us for now. We cannot..."

Fr. Simon Gaine. "Sharing His Vision." Torch. April 29, 2012

"The early Church depicted Christ as a young shepherd lovingly caring for his sheep. In today's Gospel of John we find this image once more. Christ, the Good Shepherd, is the one who lays down his life for his sheep. This is in contrast to the hireling who abandons the sheep, leaving them prey to the dangers at hand. On this Fourth Sunday of Easter we are reminded that it is Christ, who knows each..."

Fr. Michael Demkovich. "Listen for your call." Torch. May 11, 2003