Homily for Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year C

 The readings for Fourth Sunday of Easter - Year C may be found at:

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/051125.cfm

Today, as we gather to celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, 

we are also blessed to honor our mothers - 

those women who have shepherded us 

with love, care and sacrifice.

The voice of a mother is, 

for many of us, 

the very first voice we recognize - 

a voice that comforts, teaches, and leads us, 

much like the voice of the Shepherd 

who leads his flock to safety and life. 

So, today, 

we give thanks for the mothers 

and all those in mothering roles who, 

like Christ the Good Shepherd, 

have laid down their lives 

in countless small 

and great ways 

for those they love.

Now onto the sheep.

I grew up in the south end of New Bedford, 

so I knew very little about sheep.

For most of my life, 

the only sheep I saw were at zoos

or in the movie Babe, 

where that English pig thought he was a shepherding dog.  

I liked that one, maybe you’ve seen it.

I’m sure we’ve all heard the word "sheep" used 

in a negative way to describe people who blindly follow. 

Clearly, not what Jesus was getting at.

So, before preparing to preach today, 

I thought I should learn a little about sheep.

 

You may or may not know 

that sheep have amazing memories 

and can recall up to 50 faces for up to two years.

They navigate mazes well,

have a great sense of smell, 

strong sense of taste 

and amazing peripheral vision 

spanning nearly 360 degrees!  

So good luck sneaking up on a sheep.

And if you’re keeping score at home - 

memories, mazes, superior senses of smell, taste and vision -  

that’s Sheep five and Deacon Tony zero.

Now, none of this 

is why Jesus referred to us as sheep.

He calls us sheep because they are, 

afterall, social creatures.

And God has created us to be social,

to be in relationship with others 

and with Him.

We cannot fully flourish all alone. 

We need each other.

Which means we are also a bit fragile and vulnerable.

Like sheep - we run away from danger, 

but are not very fast.

We think we are 

pretty good at running, 

but we’re not.

We compensate by building walls around ourselves 

trying to control everything, 

yet a microscopic virus can knock us off our feet.

A car accident, 

a sudden illness 

or any other number of things 

we couldn’t possibly prepare for 

can change our lives 

or end them prematurely. 

We make bad choices 

without seeking forgiveness for our sins 

separating us 

from the one sure thing we have in this life - 

our God.

It may be obvious, but sheep cannot live for long 

without someone to care for them 

and protect them - 

completely dependant on their shepherd 

to sustain them with food and water, 

and protect them from predators.

Likewise, we must rely on Jesus 

to sustain us in this life 

and to prepare us for eternal life,

by being reconciled to Him

in the sacrament of confession

and in communion with Him 

in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Today, 

Jesus tells us clearly 

that He and the Father 

are one and that He is our shepherd 

and we are the sheep

and that sheep know 

the voice of their shepherd. 

This week I learned that if a stranger calls sheep, 

they will ignore that unfamiliar voice. 

That voice is everything.

They know the voice of their true shepherd 

and they entrust their lives to him and follow.

Can we say the same? 

Do we know the voice of our shepherd?

Do we entrust our lives to Him?

Truly listening to what He is telling us, 

how He is guiding us?

Do we do what He commands of us? 

And do we respond to His call 

by following closely 

to where He leads us 

to experience and to share love 

and joy and purpose and hope. 

God yearns for us to live 

beautiful and bountiful lives – 

lives that are truly abundant.

Not just in this life, but for all eternity.

But following Him, truly following Him

requires us to respond to His call

And that response

involves a choice.

A choice that only we can make.

Hearing and responding to Jesus’ word 

is the decisive factor

that will determine where 

and how we will spend eternal life.

Let us pray

that we listen intently 

to our good shepherd’s voice,

to always respond to his call,

know Him well and 

live our lives according to 

His will - forever.

Amen