Education in Faith
Sunday was the fourth Sunday of Easter and both of the readings talked about hearing a call. We are reminded that we too are called to know and follow Jesus, ask forgiveness for our sins, and be led by him to life everlasting. In the gospel, Jesus shares a parable with the people. In the parable, Jesus refers to himself as the shepherd of the flock. It is the shepherd's job to care for the sheep, making sure that they don’t wander, checking that they have food and to keep the sheep safe. Only the shepherd enters the sheepfold through the gate and the sheep knows him by his voice. The concept of Jesus as the good shepherd, keeping us safe even in the hard times, is very comforting. If Jesus is the good shepherd, what kind of sheep are we? How many strangers have we followed who distracted us from following our true shepherd? For example, pursuit of more and more things; anger, jealousy or bitterness? The Good Shepherd knows each sheep by name and the sheep know him by the sound of his voice. How can we try to be like the sheep and not let ourselves be distracted by anything that keeps us from following Jesus? What can we do in our daily lives to stay close to the shepherd?