Homily For The Fourth Sunday Of Easter (Good Shepard Sunday/ World Day Of Prayer For Vocations) April 30, 2023.
“God has, in fact, thought of us from eternity and has loved us as unique individuals. He has called every one of us by name, as the Good Shepherd ‘calls His sheep by name.”– St. John Paul II
Sunday Readings
My Dearest Friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Good Shepherd Sunday which reminds us of the love of Good and a call to embrace the salvation He brings. We are reimnded by today’s feast to follow the example of Jesus the Good Shepherd by being good shepherds to those entrusted to us. It is also an invitation to enter through the one gate that leads to the sheepfold amidst many roads to death. And to listen to the voice of the shepherd amidst the voices of thieves who have come steal and to destroy. The Good Shepherd comes to give us life and if we must enjoy this everlasting life in full, we must enter through His Gate (cf. Psalm 100:4)
Entry Through The Gate Guarantees Salvation
Surprisingly, Jesus did not begin this narrative in the gospel by describing Himself as the Good Shepherd. He rather calls Himself the “Gate” for the sheepfold. This is to say that Christ is the One and Only Way into the sheepfold. So, coming in through the Gate is a picture of salvation. Salvation here is pictured as a place of safety, going in and out of the sheep pen, and having an abundant life. Only those who enter through Him will enjoy the benefit of the promise “I have come that they may have life and have it in full”( v10).
Entry Through the Gate Guarantees Life
A full life or an abundant life is one of fellowship with God. It is a life that is so full that it cannot be destroyed by death. It is a life of abundant grace in the Lord Jesus Christ. Is this the life you are living – a full life in the grace of God? Or are you living a life of fear? If you believe, if by faith you have entered through the Gate, which is Christ, you can go in and out of the Gate to the sheep pen without fear. The sheep pen can be the Church – John 10:16 makes this clear. It is initially speaking about Israel, but for us today it speaks of the Church.
Beware Of Entrance To The Gates Of Perdition
If Christ is the only Gate that leads to life, it means there are other gates that lead to perdition. These are the gates of the thieves/strangers.Those who belong to the sheepfold of Christ, do not listen or follow strangers. Who are these thieves that Jesus is referring to in this gospel? They are the thieves of our day. They are those who teach that there is another way to be saved; those who teach that all religions ultimately lead to the same place. A thief might also say that Muslims and Christians worship the same God. Thieves today are those who teach you and your children that Lesbianism, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) are normal, natural, and an option. Thieves today who have a false voice are those who promote a false religion, whether it is naturalism or its daughter, evolution, which are contrary to God’s Word. Another false voice is that of prosperity preachers who teach that God wants you to be wealthy and have all of your carnal desires met, and the reason you are sick or weak is your own fault. The first danger is listening to the wrong voice. We must shut our ears from Listening To anything that contradicts the gospel of Christ the Good Shepherd.
Lost Your Way? Return Through The Main Gate–Christ
Did you enter through the right Gate? It wasn’t funny the day I lost my way in a multi-storied building because I entered through the wrong gate. In like manner, many children of God have lost their way today because they have entered through the wrong gate. Proverbs 14:12 says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death“. This Gospel is addressed to us today to retrace our steps back to God Who is the Only Way that leads to life. The thieves( the devil) have come to steal the flock of Christ by opening many attractive, tempting, and beautiful gates through worldly vanities. Many have refused to follow the voice of the Shepherd but followed the voice and the beautiful gates opened by the devil and have lost their lives. Do not add to that number.
Through Baptism we enter the sheepfold of Christ. Our security and protection are in God’s hands when we enter through Him. He cares and nourishes us with His words and sacraments. He heals our wounds and restores us to health. We need to listen to His voice daily through the scriptures and through the Holy Mother the Church.
Imitate His Example: Be A Good Shepherd To Those Under Your Care
In the second reading from the first letter of St. Peter it says: “Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His foot steps” We are by that example called to be good shepherds. We are called to offer our lives for others and to lead others to the truth by our good example; offering those who pass through us hope, inspiration, and encouragement. It is our duty to protect others and not to expose them to danger and harm. Jesus laid down His Life for us. We too, must not spare anything in offering the best of ourselves to those we serve.
In whatever profession you find yourself, be a good shepherd. Let us also be good sheep in our parish communities. Let us be sheep who listen to the voice of their shepherd and jointly participate in building up the unity in the Church of God. Let us pray always for more vocations to the diaconate, priesthood and religious life so that God will in every generation find worthy pastors and ministers of His Church. May we eschew every form of selfish ambition in religious and civil service. May God strengthen you.
I keep you and your family always in my prayers. ©Clem C. Aladi (2024)
Dear Fr Clement, There is a passage in your homily that speaks to a thief would have us believe that Muslims & Christians worship the same God. Could you expand on that thought…. Many thanks, John P
To start with, the Muslims do not believe that Jesus Christ is God. He is only a prophet of God according to their belief. We both know that Jesus repeatedly says in the scriptures that “to have seen him is to have seen the Father.” (cf. John 14:8) Our creed says He is “consubstantial with the Father”. He is God himself who became man to save man from sin. Colossians 1:15 says “He is the image of the invisible God…”. The Moslems obviously do not believe in God because no one can claim to know God without believing in His son Jesus whom He has sent. The Muslims believe in Allah(God) but they follow the teachings of Mohammed the 7th-century prophet of Arabia; whom they say, wrote the Koran in spite of his being unlettered. The tenet of their religion is a complete opposite to that of Christianity. I am not a religious Bigot, I studied Isalm in Theology. I have no prejudice against Muslims or Islam; but the violence perpetrated by many of its adherents is a clear sign of their loved belief. I am not in any way enthroning the supremacy of catholicism (Christianity ) because it is not the church you attend that will earn you salvation but your faith in God. Moslems do not believe in the same God as Christians. Let me stop here.