Today is Good Shepherd Sunday and the day we also pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. The opening sentence in today’s gospel passage is very comforting. Jesus says “I am the Good Shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. The image of the good shepherd manifests the various aspect of the person of Jesus. In this image we see a fierce protector who, at the cost of his own life, stands up to anybody who threatens his flock. The description of the good shepherd laying down his life for his sheep alludes to the servant offering his life as a sacrifice. This is what Jesus is for all of us as He gives His life for us. He fights for us and saves us from any kind of harm that threatens our life and makes life unbearable for us. He gives His life in exchange for our lives.

This is what He did on Good Friday when He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for us. Amazingly, through the power of the Holy Spirit God raised Him up from the dead so that we might have life through Him. For by His death and resurrection we have our life and our salvation. It is good also to make note of some good examples of people who have given their lives for the sake of others. A good example of this laying down one’s life for others is the story account of what happened in the School shooting in a high school in Florida in 2018. It was reported how one of the teachers on hearing the gun shots gathered all the students under him in one corner of the class room and covered them with his body and the bullet caught him and killed him. None of his students was shot, but his life was taken to protect the students. Why was he able to do that, because he was a faithful teacher, ready to take risk for his students and because of the love he has for his students? This is what the image of the good Shepherd that we have in the person of Jesus teaches us. Even though that teacher died in the course of that shooting, he would forever live in the memory of these students and school for the heroic deeds of giving his life for the lives of his students. Whoever gives his life for others’ lives forever.

Furthermore, Jesus as a Good Shepherd points to us about His faithfulness to us His sheep. He is the one we can depend on because He is faithful and trustworthy and committed to us as a good shepherd. He does not abandon us even if we abandon Him, He does not leave us alone on our own. Jesus is a faithful God in who we can trust.

Jesus as a Good Shepherd shows us how much He loves us despite our limitations. Love is another aspect of Jesus as a Good Shepherd. He loves us even when we do not deserve His love as result of our wrong doing and short coming. Even at that, His love remains forever. As a Good Shepherd He knows us through and through and that is why He says, “I know my sheep and mine know me”. He knows us as we are and we cannot hide from Him thus, He expects openness, truthfulness and sincerity in our approach to Him. To know someone in this sense is to be one with that person, Jesus wants us to come close to Him and be one with Him.

Finally, as a Good Shepherd, He wants us to listen to His voice. The only way we can listen to His voice is by obeying Him and paying attention to what He tells us. We pay attention and listen to what He tells us through the scriptures and what the church teaches us and by so doing He leads us to green pastures. Let us pray for the grace to listen to His voice in our everyday events and give our lives to Him

Happy Good Shepherd Sunday and May Our Lord the Good Shepherd grant you peace and love.

Fr. Tony Okolo

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