Gospel – John 10:11-18

Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.

Reflection on the Gospel

Let us remember that we are in the holy presence of God.

This Sunday we hear the comparison that Jesus makes between himself and the Good Shepherd. Jesus makes a distinction between the hired man who is unwilling to protect his sheep versus the Good Shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for his sheep. During this Easter season we must remember that we are called to be both the sheep and the shepherd. In the first sense, we are called to be the sheep in our relationship with Christ. We must be sure that we know the sound of our Shepherd’s voice even amidst our noisy, fast paced culture. In the second sense, we must be the shepherd to our flock, the Church. We are called by Jesus to lay down our plans so that the Holy Spirit can work through our lives. When we do this we can serve our brothers and sisters in the way God intends for us. In reflecting on this story we should ask ourselves the following questions: Do we truly hear the voice of our Christ, our Good Shepherd? And do we follow His example and lay down our lives for the sake of others? May we always seek Jesus Christ first in our lives in order to do his will.

Mr. Jeff Petroski
St. Peter’s Boys High School

Saint John Baptist de La Salle – Pray for us.
Live, Jesus, in our hearts – Forever.