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May 7th -- THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
May the Risen Lord Jesus,
who appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus,
walk with us on the way carved out by the Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:
May 14th -- FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
May the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep,
give us the grace to make the sacrifices needed
to rescue those who are lost
and love those whom everyone else has forgotten;
We pray to the Lord:
May 21st -- FIFTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
For those who are about to die,
that our love for them
might lead them to the perfect love of Jesus,
who is their resurrection and their life;
We pray to the Lord:
May 28th -- SIXTH SUNDY OF EASTER
[Ascension of the Lord in many dioceses]
That by our love for the sick and the suffering,
we might fulfill the Lord's great commandment of love;
We pray to the Lord:
PREACHING for Life
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER B
The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
What makes the good shepherd good? Is it his skills in keeping the sheep together? Probably not, since elsewhere we hear the story about the sheep who wander away! Is it for the size of his flock or the quality of the sheep? None of these factors are mentioned by Jesus.
There is only one reason why the good shepherd is called good: he lays down his life for his sheep.
Christ, the Good Shepherd, has laid down his life for his sheep. In turn, he has been raised up by the Father, that he might be "the first born of many brothers." Thus, by his death we have life and by his dying we live for ever in the glory of God.
Are we good shepherds? Do we lay down our lives for the forgotten sheep of God's flock? Sometimes, the answer is painful to admit.
Do we pray for the children yet in the womb, begging God to keep them safe. Do we pray for new parents as they wait sometimes with equal parts of hope and fear for the new life God has entrusted to their care? Do we support single mothers with our words, our actions and our contributions to shelters and programs which provide them with support and assistance?
How about mothers who have once turned the wrong way and aborted their child? Are we good shepherd for them? Do we go out to find them and gently bring them home with the mercy and gentleness of Christ the Good Shepherd? Are our hearts willed with the compassion of the shepherd who "knows his sheep" and loves them despite their having wandered away?
And what of those lost on death row? Do we love them with the love of the Good Shepherd? Does our heart go out to them and to their victims? Do we preach repentance rather than retribution and respect the right to life of every human being, even one who has unjustly taken the life of his brother?
Are we good shepherds for those who are sick or old or alone or afraid? Do we go out to find them in nursing homes and hospitals, in shelters for the homeless and detox units at the local hospital? Do we love the lost sheep no matter how dirty she has become, or hoe deeply entwined in the thorns of sin? Am I the good shepherd, who lays down my life for the sheep.
Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated that Holy Thursday night. I got down on my hands and knees and washed feet. I did it because the Good Shepherd washed feet too on the night before he died for you and for me. And once he had washed feet, he rose and told his disciples, 'as I have done, so you should do.'
'I am the Good Shepherd,' he tells us. 'I lay down my life for lost sheep....as I have done, so you should do.'