'I know my own and my own know me.' Sunday Reflections, 4th Sunday of Easter, Year B

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From The Gospel of John (2003) directed by Philip Saville

Today's Gospel, John 10:11-18 [1:19 - 2:30]
Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.  I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
Fr Barry Cairns is a Columban priest from New Zealand who was ordained in 1955 and went to Japan in 1956 where he still is. He writes frequently for our various Columban magazines. I met him only once but I know him to be the kind of joyful proclaimer of the Gospel that Pope Francis so often speaks about. 
Full post here.

Comments

  1. april-lea12:40 pm, April 27, 2015

    This particular Gospel reading, John 10-11 is one of my favorites because of the descriptors used by John that make it so easy to understand The relationship that Our Lord wishes to have with his flock AND individual sheep. We had a "substitute" priest at the vigil mass Saturday evening that did an awesome job in explaining these passages. If a person had never heard of Jesus, and heard this homily, they would come away loving the Lord!

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