Father Marcel's Bulletin Message for the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A

The concept of God as shepherd is fulfilled in Jesus Christ who calls his sheep individually by name. The sheep follow him because they know his voice. He is also the "gate of the sheepfold" as through him the sheep are sure of finding green pasture. It is through Jesus that the people of God, called by his holy name and responding to his voice, enter into the pastures of eternal life.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who constantly calls us to follow him. Every new day, the sweet voice of the Sweet Shepherd calls us to follow him. Every day and every time, the good voice of the Good Shepherd calls us to follow in his footsteps. If we must remain part of the flock of Jesus, then we must follow him wherever he leads us. A good and faithful sheep is the sheep that knows the voice of the shepherd and follows him when he calls. In the midst of several other voices calling, the faithful sheep is able to recognize the voice of the shepherd and follow him.

There are several voices out there calling us just to distract and deceive us from following the true voice of the Lord. The voice of secularism calls us to ignore the teachings of Jesus Christ, the teachings of the Apostles and the teachings of the Church. That voice tells us that religion does not matter anymore, that God does not matter anymore. That voice tells us that satisfying the sinful desires of the flesh does not make us bad people. But the voice of the Shepherd tells us that the true worshipers of God must worship him in Spirit and in truth. The voice of the world calls us to abandon God and what pertains to God. It tells us that what matters is our individual satisfaction and pleasure. But the voice of the Good Shepherd tells us to keep God's commandments if we truly love him. The voice of Satan calls us to worship him through entertainment, fashion, music, anti-genesis behaviors etc. But the voice of the Good Shepherd calls us to "Worship the Lord our God and serve him only."

Which of these voices are we going to follow? The Good Shepherd calls us to follow him. Remember, if we want Jesus to be our Shepherd, then we must remain the Sheep of his flock for a wolf has no shepherd.

God bless you!