I am the Gate for the Sheep

When I look back on my childhood,
I see that I often took my parents’ love for granted.
I figured they were supposed to love me. And they did!
And even when they did things I wish they hadn’t done,
or failed to do things I wish they had done,
I still believed they loved me.

What I don’t think I realized at all was how much they loved me.

– I can see now that they gladly went without
so that their children could have what they needed.
– I can see now how much they spent their lives for their children.
– I can see now that my mother and father would have put themselves
between me and harm’s way – without a thought for their own welfare.

One of the reasons I see such love in my own past
is that I see it in the lives of families in our parish
and I recognize it as the kind of love I was given as a child.

Sadly, some children aren’t loved in this way.
And some times I see that, too.
And I pray that others in their lives will love them as unconditionally
as good parents love their sons and daughters.

Feeding His Flock

Feeding His Flock

Fourth Sunday of Easter. Fr Dominic Ryan preaches on the image of the Good Shepherd. Today’s gospel focuses on sheep […]

The Dominican Friars in Britain

Staying Safe

Fourth Sunday of Easter (A)  |  Fr John Patrick Kenrick reminds us that true safety comes from being in union with […]

The Dominican Friars in Britain

Knowing the Shepherd's Voice

Fourth Sunday of Easter (A)  |  Fr Dermot Morrin reflects on the unpacking of the gift of baptism as we […]

The Dominican Friars in Britain

Re-Imagining Sheep

Today is the fourth Sunday of Easter. It is sometimes called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” That is because in all three cycles of the Liturgical Year, the Gospel presents us with an image of Jesus as the shepherd and we as the sheep. Now preaching on this Sunday has its challenges. This was driven home to me several years ago when after preaching on this Sunday, a parishioner came into the sacristy with a criticism. He said, “I know it’s scriptural and all that, but I don’t like being compared to a sheep. Sheep are dumb animals. They have very little initiative or energy, and they are easily led around by whoever would want to manipulate them. Is this image of being a sheep really a useful image for a disciple in the twenty-first century?” I thought that the criticism was valid, and I am careful in my preaching every year on “Good Shepherd Sunday.”

The Shepherd’s Voice

The Shepherd's Voice - Word on Fire

God speaks to us in many ways, especially though the conscience. Since God is a Person, his voice will reach our consciences and lure us to conform our lives to the life of his Son, Jesus Christ. In addition to listening to Christ thought the scriptures, through the teachings of the Church, through the lives of the saints, and through the liturgy, listen to Him speaking to your conscience. He will set you free.

Word on Fire

Suffering for Doing Good - Word on Fire

Peter gives his readers a deeply Christian principle: “Beloved, if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.”

Word on Fire

Redemptive Suffering - Word on Fire

We hear this week from the Apostle Peter, speaking to the Christian community about redemptive suffering. This is the suffering that comes from doing what is right, even in the face of opposition. What it accomplishes is redemption, that is to say, "buying back" for God the one who perpetrates the injustice. No one in our own American tradition understood this principle--and put it into practice--more thoroughly than Martin Luther King.

Word on Fire

Proclaiming the Easter Gospel - Word on Fire

Our reading from the Acts of the Apostles provides an account of St. Peter's great sermon on Pentecost morning. His proclamation--bold, unapologetic, evangelical, deeply challenging--is the model of all Christian preaching and public witness.

Word on Fire

Peter Proclaims Jesus is Lord - Word on Fire

Peter's sermon on Pentecost morning is the model for all evangelical proclamation. He declares that Jesus is both Lord and Messiah, and this straightforward, unambiguous confession leads to conversion on the part of the people. When our preaching about Jesus is wishy-washy, unclear, tentative, we shouldn't be surprised that no one listens.

Word on Fire

Apostolic Preaching - Word on Fire

Our first reading for this weekend, taken from the second chapter of Acts, conveys one of Peter’s great sermons. If we listen attentively, we can learn a lot about good preaching, but also a lot about the nature of Christianity.

Word on Fire

Good Shepherd Sunday

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A. 3rd May 2020 Acts 2:14,36-41; 1Peter 2:20-25; John 10: 1-10. The fourth Sunday of Easter is usually known as the Good Shepherd Sunday. The church designates this Sunda

Sunday Homily

The Voice of the Shepherd

The Fourth Sunday of Easter can be called Good Shepherd Sunday. The Gospel reading is taken from the tenth chapter of the Gospel fo John. The first part of this chapter presents Jesus as the One whose voice his sheep know. The second part of the chapter presents Jesus as the shepherd who searches for his lost sheep.

In a world where so many people are looking for a voice to lead them, there is only one voice that matters. World leaders and all politicians for that matter attract people fanatically dedicated to them, but at best their voices lead only to limited
solutions to the complex problems of life. The voice that matters is the Voice of the
Lord.

The Law, the Prophets, and the Church

The law, the prophets, and the Church

Third Sunday of Easter, Year AFirst Reading: Acts 2:14, 22b-28Second Reading: 1 Pt 1:17-21Gospel Reading: Lk 24:13-35 “Christ was destined before the foundation of the world,” but he was not...

The B.C. Catholic

God made five “old” covenants: with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David. A covenant is like a contract, but it involves an exchange of persons instead of goods or services. Moreover, it is sealed with not just a promise, but an oath solemnized by a sacrifice. God used covenants to forge bonds of sacred kinship with his people: “I will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

Through the gate of Christ crucified, enter into the glory of Heaven

In the Gospel reading today Jesus tells us He is the gate for the sheep.  As we know, it was a common practice to have a fenced in pen wherein the sheep could spend the night in safety, but there was no gate on the pen.  Instead, the shepherd would sleep in the opening, thus remaining with his sheep while keeping them in the pen and keeping predators away.

For a sheep to enter or exit the sheepfold, it would have to go past the shepherd.  The sheep could not go over the fence, so the shepherd served as the only means to enter.  For us, Heaven is the sheepfold we desire to enter, and there is only one way to get in.  Jesus told us no one could come to the Father except through Him.  He also told us He is the way, as well as the truth and the life. 

Regarding the concept of the gate, St. Peter told the Jewish crowd that gathered on Pentecost that “God has made both Lord and Christ this Jesus Whom you crucified.”  So, He is the Master and He is the Messiah.  As Master or Lord, He owns the sheep and determines who is admitted into His flock.  As the Christ or Messiah, He is the only means by which our sins can be forgiven and we can get into Heaven.

Choose God and Not His Works

Choose God and not His works

Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A Good Shepherd Sunday This year, I had found it exceptionally hard to preach on Good Shepherd Sunday...

michaelckw.blogspot.com

The Gate of Life

Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A Today is Good Shepherd Sunday or alternatively known as Vocation Sunday, the day we pray for more ...

michaelckw.blogspot.com

Life to the Full

Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A Today’s gospel ends with this incredible promise from Jesus, “I have come so that they may have li...

michaelckw.blogspot.com

Everyone has a vocation

Good Shepherd Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A) Today we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocation Sunday. Today is a special day whe...

michaelckw.blogspot.com

Clergy E-Notes

Pro-life reflections and intercessions related to the Sunday readings

Jesus, the Gate of Life

Homily: 4th Sunday of Easter A. Jesus the Gate of Life - SINGLE HUMANITY

Jesus is the gate through which every person is free to enter and come out. Christians are called to be ushers who facilitate entry to those hesitating

SINGLE HUMANITY

Recognizing the Shepherd’s Voice

The Gospel Acclamation from Jn10:14 insists, “I am the good shepherd, says the Lord; I know my own sheep and my own know me”. In effect, Jesus was not called “A” Good Shepherd, but “The” Good Shepherd. In John 10:1-10 Jesus is presented not only as The Shepherd, but also as The Sheepfold Gate. Everyone passes through Him and all who enter through Him will be saved. He distinguishes between the Thief and The Good Shepherd: A thief comes only to “steal and kill and destroy”. However, Jesus, The Good Shepherd, has come “So that they may have life and have it to the full”. Unlike some who flee when faced with danger, He gave up His life for the sheep in His care. This is why He is The Good Shepherd. As Jesus’ sheep we must follow Him because we know His voice. We hear thousands of voices, lots of talk, yelling and loud music. We hear many voices today, but, unfortunately, we do not hear the voice of “The Shepherd.”

Moving Out of Isolation

Being isolated in our homes [during Covid in 2020] has perhaps made us aware of the need for physical closeness. I’m not talking so much about hugs and holding hands, but the importance of simply being together. We’re doing the best we can with live streaming, zoom meeting and virtual communities but it only goes so far. We belong together. Jesus calls us his flock because like sheep we need to share physical space.

RELATED HOMILIES:

2014: Journey to Hope Week 4
2011: Open the Door
2008: Door We Never Opened
2005: A Good Shepherd
2002: Can The Church Save Itself?
2000: Jesus’ Job Description
1999: Where are the Shepherds?

Jesus is the Good Shepherd

When the disciples met Jesus on the road it was a gentle meeting. He walked by their side. He listened to their story. He met them where they were at. He met them at their own level. We too meet Jesus in people who treat us like that, who listen to our stories even if they don’t make sense to them. We meet Jesus in people who have the time to talk to us and listen to our troubles without being patronizing. We meet Jesus in the people who accept us with all our faults and failings. We meet Jesus in the people who help us to have a positive attitude towards life, and by helping us in that way they help us to stop on the road to the depression of Emmaus and return to the joy of our everyday tasks in Jerusalem.

RELATED HOMILIES

Jesus the Good Shepherd carries us and lays down his life for us
The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want
Homilies on Vocation

The Good Shepherd

What would you do if to remain in a place would almost certainly mean losing your life?  This is question found at the heart of the French film, “Of Gods and Men.”  The film is based on the true story of eight Cistercian Trappist monks living their lives in the Atlas Mountains of Algeria in the 1990’s.  The country is caught up in a violent and bloody civil war between a totalitarian regime and violent Islamic extremists.  The monks have lived in peace with their Muslim neighbors but there is violence all around and non-Muslims are being killed.  The monks know that it is just a matter of time. 

I have come that you may live and life to the full

The first question we have to ask ourselves is: Do I really believe that? Some of our early religious education may have left us with the idea that God is a strict disciplinarian who wants us to live with him in heaven in the next world, but in the meantime is against many things that seem natural and attractive. We imagine God as watching us to test us, even to catch us out. Only if we pass the strict test will he reward us later on in the next life with happiness. This life is meant to be a valley of tears and we are not meant to enjoy it or to find real life here on earth.

The Sheepgate

When Jesus reveals that he is the gate of the sheepfold, he is not just suggesting that he is the unique way into safety or the only way out to pasture. He is saying that he will prevent our destruction by laying down his life. He has come to us that we may have life and have it abundantly.

The continuation of the passage is important. “I am the good shepherd, the one that lays down his life for the sheep.” It is for this reason, we are assured, that God’s love is so totally poured out into Christ—and so empowering that his life, even though laid down, is given back again.

The Passover, with its commemoration of Christ’s “dead body” and Resurrection, is the full realization of the twenty-third Psalm’s promise. With this shepherd, we shall never want. We will have repose. We will be led and refreshed and guided along right paths.

Good Shepherds

Have any of you been around a sheep? Anybody who has been around a sheep will tell you that they are heavy, awkward, slightly stupid, and typically, sheep smell bad.

It is not a very attractive picture is it. Who wants to be a sheep? Raise your hand!

What I find attractive about this analogy Jesus give us is the fact I know that in my life, there are things that are heavy, awkward, slightly stupid, and, sometimes, smell bad.

What does Jesus do with sheep that are heavy, awkward, stupid and smelly? Jesus, the good Shepherd, takes that smelly sheep and places it over his shoulders and leads the sheep to safety.

Jesus is the sheep gate who calls his sheep to the safety and healing of his presence