2020- 4th Sunday of Easter May 3, 2020 - Acts 2:14a, 36-41 1 Pt 2:20b-25 Jn 10:1-10
Whenever I hear this gospel about Jesus the Gate, I think of my Aunt Grace & Uncle Jerry, the first of our relatives to move to Suffolk County. They lived in Huntington Saturday, while the rest of our family lived in Brooklyn or Queens. My uncle and aunt always greeted us at the gate that led to their back yard with huge smiles and warm hugs: it was clear they were glad to see our family together in one place. They had a gate to their back yard for some good reasons. For one thing, it gave their family some protection: you could hear the gate swing open & closed, & it kept my aunt & uncle aware that people were entering & exiting all weekend long.
Another reason for gate was my cousins Jerry & Kathleen who were young & moved quickly! In fact, many times Aunt Grace & Uncle Jerry were in hot pursuit of them,calling “come back!” There was also a puppy living there, who liked to RUN & get out of the yard if given a chance! So, to keep their kids & pet close & safe, in the verdant pastures of their huge back yard, one of the expressions of Uncle Jerry & Aunt Grace’s love was that gate. That was also the gate to which they’d walk when we left: it took forty-five minutes to say goodbye: they wanted us to stay longer. They’d stay at the gate until we were in our car, & waved goodbye until we were gone. It seems to me I learned a lot about Jesus the faithful gate, way back, from my aunt & uncle.
And on this Good Shepherd Sunday, one question Jesus raises for each of us to answer is: in whose pasture do we want to live? & whose leadership & shepherding & advice & guidance are we going to follow? Well, true statements & false statements are expressed privately & publicly each & every day. In time, persons develop a reputation for being a truth-teller and a trustworthy source, OR we learn, sometimes to our sadness, that some people can be liars, cheaters & deceivers. Jesus says that both the liars & the truth-tellers can be anywhere: in any town on earth. That’s why it’s SO important for our minds & hearts to be clear: to be open to God-truth, while refusing to be misled by any false shepherd who, for example, tells you being good and holy is easy: that is simply not true, and no one should believe it! It does, however, take a person of courage to name and continue to follow Jesus as Shepherd.
So, why do so many people, even into our own time, cling to Jesus, the Good Shepherd? Jesus distinguishes Himself as a shepherd who puts our well-being ahead of his own. Think of how Jesus endured the physical pain and humiliation linked to His own crucifixion: He did not do that for Himself, certainly, but as the Gospel says, so that we might have life. And the description of how a proper shepherd conducts Himself, which is Jesus’ model also, allows the sheep to see his face and hear his voice, so they can identify him truly and safely.
I saw that for myself in the example of three shepherds some years ago, whom I encountered in the Holy Land. Hundreds of sheep belonging to the three shepherds were grazing together in a huge meadow one day, when each of those three shepherds started making a unique and distinctive sound for their own respective sheep (like a whistle, a click with their tongues, a bit of a song, etc.). Then, each of them stepped to the front of the direction in which they wanted their sheep to go, & each of them kept making that distinctive sound as they began to lead in different directions. Their sheep would be safe and secure under their guidance, for each member of the flock trusted their one true shepherd.
For us, during the month-and-a-half since we have been able to gather in public to celebrate Mass with a full congregation, Jesus our Good Shepherd has not stopped for one minute in leading/guiding/protecting us. Jesus is a Truthful Shepherd: He never promised all life would be easy, but He did promise that He would walk with us, like the travelers on the road to Emmaus we heard about last week. This is the SAME Jesus who was with us on the most difficult day of our lives in the past, and who promises He will never abandon us in the challenging times that lie ahead. Let us realized how loved we are, how blessed we are, & how sought after we are by Jesus, for His Love is everlasting: Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
