EASTER IV: Acts 13:14, 43-52; Rv 7:9, 14b-17; Jn 10:27-30

One Sunday morning, following the church service, a layman accosted the pastor and said, “Tom, this church has been insulting me for years, and I did not know it until this week.” The stunned pastor replied, “What on earth do you mean?” “Well,” said the layman, every Sunday morning the call to worship in this church ends with the words, ‘We are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.’ And I have heard ministers over the years call the congregation, God’s flock.’ Then this past week I visited the Chicago stockyards. There I discovered that sheep are just about the dumbest animals God ever created. They are so stupid that they even follow one another docilely into the slaughterhouse. Even pigs are smarter than sheep, and I would certainly be angry if my church called me a pig’ every Sunday morning. So I’m not at all sure I want to come to church and be called a sheep’ any longer...even God’s sheep’.”

The man had a point. But whether we like it or not, that is the language of the Bible: both the Old and New Testaments. We are called “God’s sheep.” The favorite psalm of many people is the 23rd, and it begins by saying, “The Lord is my shepherd...” And if “the Lord is my shepherd,” then I am one of the Lord’s sheep. Centuries before Christ, the prophet Isaiah said to his people: “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isaiah 53:6) From the Bible, we have taken this pastoral imagery over into the Church. One of the symbols of the office of bishop across the centuries has been the shepherd’s crook, that long staff with a hook on the end…

The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, and it is the “World Day of Prayer for Vocations.”   Each year on this Sunday, we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who devotedly and kindly takes care of his flock.  Introducing himself as the Good Shepherd of his flock, Jesus makes a few claims in today’s Gospel.   

He knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice: Just as the Palestinian shepherds knew each sheep of their flock by name, and the sheep knew their shepherd and his voice, so Jesus knows each one of us, our needs, our merits and our faults.  He loves us as we are, with all our limitations, and he expects us to return his love by keeping his words.  Jesus manifests to us God the Father and his loving care for us. Outside of Jesus Christ we simply don’t know very much about God. But with Him, we know that God is love. We know that he is the gateway into the heart of a loving God. Jesus speaks to us at every Mass, through the Bible, through our pastors, through our parents, through our friends and through the events of our lives. C.S.Lewis says: "God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our consciences, and He shouts to us in our pain!"

In chapter ten of John’s Gospel, Jesus adds two more roles to those of the Good Shepherd.  He goes in search of stray lambs and heals the sick ones.  Jesus dies for his sheep:  Just as the shepherds of ancient days protected their sheep from wild animals and thieves by risking their own lives, so Jesus died in expiation for the sins of all people.

The story is told of a farmer who had just rescued a lost sheep. When asked how the sheep got lost, the farmer replied, "They just nibble themselves lost. They go from one tuft of grass to another, until at last they've lost their way." That's what happens in our life. We nibble away at life with little purpose or direction, until it's gone and we have no idea where it went.

In a world that’s increasingly more scattered and scared, our task as Christ’s Church is to translate and transmit the voice of the Good Shepherd to all those who are lost, hurting, and alone. It’s also about following Jesus’ example and welcoming everyone into the fold.

Every one of us plays the roles of sheep and shepherd at different times in our lives. Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd.  Hence, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, etc. are all shepherds.  We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers.  Parents must be especially careful of their duties, thus giving their children good example through the way they live their Christian lives. 

This weekend is the DPAA commitment weekend. Last week we heard the message of Bishop and other beneficiaries of the DPAA. You also heard from one of the members of the DPAA committee in our parish.

Unlike last year this year we are not too far behind on our budget, because you helped generously with the DPAA last year and we were able to get back some $15,000.00  from the diocese as over the goal amount. As you were told last week we are exempt from assessing that amount of money we get from the DPAA. So we save an additional 10% on the money we make over the goal of DPAA. You may also know that if we don’t make our goal, we have to give it from the parish general account.

This year our goal is 24200.00 and whatever excess we contribute will come back to us to broaden the road coming up to the Church. Every morning during school hours I see a traffic bottle neck in front of the Church as only one car can really pass that way at a time. Most of the times, the cars that go down usually need to stop on top of the hill waiting for the upcoming cars to climb up the hill before they can go down. So, there is a need to broaden the road for easy traffic.

Last year we made some extra money by volunteering to  work at the Bangles game. This year we did not have enough volunteers signing up and so we do not get to make that money this year. Therefore we will have to be a little more extra generous with the donations and if it is done with DPAA that is even better.

We have made every possible cut in the parish and school expenses and I believe it is going in good direction with your cooperation. So, I invite you to take your pledge card and make the pledges if you have prayed about it. If you have not and need more time to think take the card with you and you can bring it back next week or reach the parish office any time during the week.