Jesus uses rich images from daily life to illustrate the depth of his desired relationship with us; he speaks of shepherd and sheep, gatekeeper and gate, pasture and life, recognition and salvation.

 

In the gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Easter Jesus refers to himself as the gate for the sheep.  The powerful image, which the disciples did not understand, contains more than one meaning.  Jesus says that "the one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep"; a shepherd leading sheep to pasture and the sheep hear his voice.  It is an allusion to Moses' request that God appoint a leader to guide the Hebrews into the Promised Land after their wilderness journey: "Let the Lord appoint someone over the congregation who shall go out before them and come in before them, who shall lead them out and bring them in, so that the congregation of the Lord may not be like sheep without a shepherd" (Numbers 27:16-17).

The LORD then tells Moses to select Joshua whose name, quite similar to the name Jesus, means "God is salvation" - a name most appropriate for a people wandering under stress and anxiety, a people looking for pasture, that is, looking for a new life, health, and wholeness in the Promised Land.

 

There is but one shepherd, one leader for the people of God, and that is the God revealed in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.   "The LORD is my shepherd," writes the psalmist, and one's loyalty or worship is thus due to this one alone: not the political or religious leader.  Indeed, another psalm presents an ethic of care flowing from God the shepherd that is intended to shape the lives of the baptized in this world: defend the weak, promote the cause of the poor, rescue the vulnerable, protect against the wicked.

 

In these days of pandemic, how good it is to focus our hearts and minds on the One who was willing to lay down his life in service to those who are frequently overlooked or simply discarded by "untrustworthy" members of society.  Indeed, as we "wander in place" through this challenging pasture we call a pandemic, this Sunday's gospel offers a promise of hope: there is a pasture ahead, where there is life, and health, and wholeness flowing from this wounded, good shepherd into the hands of healthcare providers, scientists, wise and compassionate politicians, grocery store clerks and pharmacists, safety and security officers, food pantry workers, and housing activists - flowing into the hands and lives of Christ's friends in the world who in gestures and words small and great, are cultivating hope - greening pastures - in others.

Yes, it may feel as if we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death - yet, let us fear no evil. We are not alone: the wounded and risen One is with us, leading us, calling us by name.

For more info about any of these ECS activities, please contact Deann Rios at 619-694-9892 or  drios@ecscalifornia.org.

For Churches in Transition in our Diocese

Friends. "To praise and thank God, no matter what happens."

I placed this in my Prayer Journal in November of 1995.
It was written by Murray Bodo, OFM,  in St. Anthony Messenger Press. 

I thought you would enjoy it.

Stay safe.
Blessings, love, and hugs from a safe distance,

Fr. Jack.

 

"Give thanks to the Lord always and your life will be a song. Some songs are sad, of course, but the melody is still there your voice, as well as the movement, and the feeling of freedom that comes from music. To praise and thank God, no matter what happens, is a gift that few possess.

To lift your voice and heart on high in failure, and defeat, places you among the saints of God. For only faith and love can explain a sing of praise and thanksgiving when times are bad."

 

"O Lord, my God, I cried out to you, and you restored me to Health"
(Psalm 30:2)