1st Reading: Acts 2:14a; 36-41

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1 The Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday/World Day of Prayer for Vocations/ Year A 6/7 May :00 PM Mass 50th Wedding Anniversary Patrick and Judy Barrett; Knights of Columbus/Measure Up Campaign (All Masses); May Crowning (end of 9:00 AM Mass) - Our Lady of Victory Parish Community 1st Reading: Acts 2:14a; "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus the Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit..... "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." Responsorial Psalm: 2nd Reading: Psalm 23 - Sung 1 Peter 2:20b-25 - ".... that you should follow in his footsteps.".... "For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have not returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. GOSPEL: JOHN 10: ".... whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber..... But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.".... the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out..... he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice."

2 Page 2 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday/World Day of Prayer I. This Fourth Sunday of Easter... no matter the year s Cycle of Readings... is typically labeled as Good Shepherd Sunday, with so many images of Jesus as that Good Shepherd... used by preachers and fondly called to mind by the faithful who gather in prayer... It s not as if Jesus never referred to himself as the good shepherd... he did... many times... especially in the Gospel of John... but... BUT... in the passage from John s Gospel we ve just heard proclaimed... while Jesus speaks about the shepherd... in these verses... he does not identify himself as the shepherd... No, in these particular verses... he declares, I am the gate for the sheep.... Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture... I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. Not to confuse you... or even me, for that matter... but in the very next verse after following the conclusion of this passage... guess what? Jesus does declare that he is the good shepherd.... A good shepherd [who] lays down his life for the sheep. But we will leave that Homily for another time.

3 Page 3 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday/World Day of Prayer I guess labeling this Good Gate Sunday would just not have the same appeal... would not conjure up the same assuring, comforting images and feelings as does the Good Shepherd... but perhaps, it should. II. Maybe a quick lesson in Middle Eastern shepherding, sheepfold, gate and gatekeeper back in Jesus day can help. Depending on the location of the herd with respect to a small or large town... the sheepfold was either located in the town... or, in many cases... far away from a town. Certainly, if in the town, this sheepfold... imagine a walled enclosure... very high walls... high enough so that not only would the sheep not be able to escape... but thieves, robbers and other predator animals would not be able to climb over the walls to steal or kill the sheep that were gathered there for the night. This sheepfold would most likely be more substantially built... and with more population... be better able to sustain not only a shepherd, or shepherds, but also gatekeepers... individuals who knew the shepherd or shepherds who were keeping their herds in the sheepfold overnight. And there was ONLY one gate... ONLY one way in... and ONLY one way out...

4 Page 4 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday/World Day of Prayer Away from the town... a sheepfold that would be built would be less substantial... simply due to lack of resources... it would not be unusual for it to even be constructed from brambles and thorny bushes piled as high as one could pile them... and still... only one opening... but not a constructed gate and no gatekeeper... no... mostly, the gate, gatekeeper and shepherd would be the same person... the one who would literally lay across the opening and sleep there during the night... some even suggesting the saying, Over my dead body has its origins in this since the only way one could enter into the sheepfold for wrong reasons would be to kill the shepherd who lay across the opening to guard and protect the herd held there. III. That is the image Jesus declares to himself... I am the gate for the sheep. Jesus... through whom the sheep who seek refuge... rest... peace... calm... safety and security... enter... Jesus... the one through whom they would not only be able to enter but the very one who lays down his life to keep them safe and secure throughout the dark of night until the light of day... to keep us safe and secure...

5 Page 5 - The Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday/World Day of Prayer Jesus... through whom we enter and in whom we find refuge... and life... abundant life... Jesus... the one who keeps watch over us and with us in the darkest moments of our life... in times of turmoil... sickness... hardship... suffering and loss... until the dawn breaks on a new day... Jesus... through whom we find rest from the challenges and trials of the day and then... then... through whom we are driven out into the light of day to be nourished and strengthened... renewed and restored... in abundance... through all He continually provides. Jesus... the good gate... the ONLY gate... the gate of our hope... the gate of our life... the gate of our salvation.