Homily: Fourth Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, we are celebrating today the liturgy of the fourth Sunday of Easter popularly called Good Shepherd Sunday. The gospel reading of this fourth Sunday of Easter is usually taken from the 10th chapter of the gospel according to John where Jesus addressed Himself as the Good Shepherd. This term Good Shepherd invites us to reflect or even wonder why Jesus likened Himself to a shepherd. Why did Jesus not choose to call Himself the Good King or the Good Doctor or the Good Teacher or even the Good Rabbi, instead He chose the metaphor of a Good Shepherd and preferred to call us the sheepfold of His flock.

This image of a shepherd is a very popular and familiar biblical image, starting from the Old Testament and continued in the New Testament. All the Old Testament Patriarchs with whom God enacted a covenant with His holy people were all shepherds. From shepherding animal, God called them to lead His holy people. Beginning with Abel the just, he made a sacrifice of blood to God from his flock. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph were all shepherds. Moses was called by God from where he was shepherding a flock to go to Pharoah in Egypt and liberate God’s people. David was called from where he was shepherding the flock of his father and anointed king. So, these Old Testament shepherds of God’s holy people were like pointers to the Supreme Shepherd of God’s flock who would come, the Son of God Himself, Jesus the Good shepherd.

The shepherd’s role in biblical times was not simply a job; it was a vocation of deep care, a task of constant vigilance, and personal sacrifice. A good shepherd would guide the flock to safe pastures, protect them from predators, and even risk his life to save a single lost sheep. So, when Jesus used this image of a shepherd, He wanted to describe the nature of His relationship with us, it is a relationship of intimate knowledge, unwavering protection and self-giving love.

Psalm 23 that we just sang contains a lot of rich images that describe the nature of this our relationship with Jesus. It speaks of “pastures” which signify the spiritual nourishment which Jesus provides for us. It speaks of “waters” with which Jesus will quench our everlasting thirst. It speaks of “banquet” which signifies the abundance offered us by communion with Jesus. It speaks of “oil” which has reference to the warm hospitality with which Jesus accompanies us. It tells us of the “overflowing cup,” “goodness and kindness that will follow” us if we are with Jesus.

In essence, in this imagery of the Good shepherd, Jesus is reminding us that in our world of today, where many feel unseen, unheard, or lost that He remains our Good Shepherd, Jesus assures us that we are known, we are loved, we are safe in His care. He knows our struggles, He knows our fears, He knows our hopes, He knows our wounds, He hears our silent prayers.

Jesus through this imagery of the Good shepherd invites us to follow Him the Good Shepherd, He also called Himself the Gate for the sheep. By calling Himself the Gate, He is telling us that He is the only secure way to salvation. Not every voice we hear leads to life. We must recognize His voice amidst the noise of competing influences; the voices of our greed, our self-interest, our inordinate pursuit of pleasure. There are many voices in the world that will promise us “shortcuts” to power, wealth and pleasure away from Christ. These voices will end up leaving us empty. Christ is the true passage to fullness of life.

Jesus through this imagery also invites us not only to be good sheep, good followers, but also to be imitators of Him the Good shepherd in our different spheres. The watchword is good, like Jesus we have to be good parents guiding children, good couples loving each other, good leaders caring for the community, good friends and neighbors supporting one another. The second reading of today from St Peter reminds us, “for to this you have been called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in His steps.” Imitating Jesus the Good Shepherd means putting the needs of others before our own comfort, being present in times of difficulty, and leading with compassion rather than control.