FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER: THE RISEN LORD, THE GATE TO THE SHEEPFOLD

READINGS AT MASS TODAY

Acts 2:14, 36-41

Psalm 23

1 Pt. 2:20-25

John 10: 1-10

Theme:

THE RISEN LORD, THE GATE TO THE SHEEPFOLD

Dear friends in Christ, N'wokafu YESU KRISTO...

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Easter which is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. 

"Secure the entrance and set up a perimeter" is a familiar phrase for security forces. It means in order to secure a given target, one must position men at the entrance of and around the target. Thus proper security measures begin with a secured entrance (gate). In today's Gospel, Jesus in His "I am the Good Shepherd" discourse mentioned that He is THE GATE TO THE SHEEPFOLD. In order to understand this statement from Jesus Christ and what He actually meant, we have to look at the life of shepherds in ancient Palestine.

At the time of Jesus, in addition to all their functions, shepherds also served as gates to the sheepfold. Shepherds at that time were mostly nomads. They took their sheep out for days looking for pasture. In the evening, as night approached, they would lead the flock to a cave or a makeshift enclosure made of piled up rocks in order to shelter them. Since there are no gates to secure the entrance to the cave, the shepherds slept at the entrance to secure the enclosure and protect the sheep. The shepherd thus literally becomes the door to the sheepfold. Any predator that wished to go in must first have to pass through him.

Beloved in Christ, Jesus Christ is the Gate to the sheepfold. He, as the good Shepherd, is both Lord (First Reading) and guardian of our souls (Second Reading). With the Risen Lord and Good Shepherd as the Gate to our lives, we are secure beyond all measure. Nothing provides a sure security like Jesus Christ the Risen Lord. His presence at the entrance of the cave of our lives in the dark nights of this world is all we need to sleep in peace. In this difficult and scary times, let us rest assured that the ever present and protective care of Jesus Christ, the Risen Lord still abides. 

With our Lord Jesus Christ as the Gate, we can rest assured that our 'entrance' is secure and our 'perimeter', set.

PRAYER 

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the Risen Lord and Shepherd of our souls. May your presence and protective care always abide with us. Amen. 

May God bless you.

- Rev. Fr. Kenneth Debre 

Sunday, May 3, 2020.

Holy Rosary Parish, Hohoe.