This Sunday’s gospel comes from the Gospel of John, the message of Jesus is very clear to us. “I AM THE SHEPHERD”.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd in so many ways he feeds his flock, he is also the Shepherd that lays down his life for his sheep. We, as the faithful, are the sheep that Jesus lays down his life for. Jesus died on the cross for us to feel the Love of God. Too many times do we see the cross as pain and hurt but the Cross is so much more than that: it is the symbol of love. When a shepherd leads his flock, he is not just showing that he loves his sheep, but he protects his sheep from danger and guides them on a safe path.
“A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Jesus as a shepherd lays his life down for his flock, whether it is just one sheep or one hundred sheep. God the Father loves and cares for us with immense love. I am sure it was not easy for the Father to send down his only Son to be offered and be tortured and hurt by His sheep. Jesus did this always with strength and love knowing that He would be persecuted and put on the cross, but the true power of God would be revealed to us in his rising from the dead on the third day. We may not fully understand the power of this because we don’t often get the opportunity to reflect on his resurrection.
This last Easter Vigil, I was blessed with the opportunity to look upon the altar at St Anne’s. It is the altar that I grew up seeing every Sunday, but this year was different since we have not been inside the church due to the ongoing pandemic. This year as I looked toward the sanctuary, I could not help but tear up because a flood of feelings came back to me as I was sitting in the church listening to the readings and planning my next few steps as the Easter Vigil MC. This past year, I faced many great struggles, even more so the last few months. On February 11th AT 5:45 am, My Shepherd (my mom) was called home after many years of fighting she succumbed to the repercussions of the COVID-19 infection that she had seemed to have beaten. Like any mother, she would have laid down her life for me, her child. She was my shepherd during my life. She protected me and she guided me. I am grateful to her for teaching me the faith that led me to becoming a confirmation teacher. This last Easter, I was able to look upon the RISEN CHRIST and know that Jesus died and rose for us to be able to be reunited with the Father in Heaven. I know that one day as you all are able to fully receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, through the Sacrament of Confirmation, you will be open to seeing the Power of God and his ways of showing how much he loves and cares for you, like the Shepherd cares for his flock.
