John 10:1-10

Acts 11:1-18

Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3,4

John 10:1-10

Jesus said:

“Amen, amen, I say to you,

whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate

but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.

But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,

as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

When he has driven out all his own,

he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him,

because they recognize his voice.

But they will not follow a stranger;

they will run away from him,

because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”

Although Jesus used this figure of speech,

they did not realize what he was trying to tell them.

So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you,

I am the gate for the sheep.

All who came before me are thieves and robbers,

but the sheep did not listen to them.

I am the gate.

Whoever enters through me will be saved,

and will come in and go out and find pasture.

A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy;

I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are the Gatekeeper and have entrusted the role of Good Shepherd to your Son, Jesus Christ. Throw open the gates of eternal life to me and help me listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd who calls me by name and leads me to the pastures of eternal life.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Good Shepherd Knows Us by Name: Jesus uses the image of a sheepgate in two ways. He first contrasts the shepherd who enters through the gate and the thief who climbs over the wall or fence. In this image, the Father is the gatekeeper and opens the door for Jesus, his Son and the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd enters the sheepfold and calls out to the sheep. He knows those who belong to the flock and calls them by name. He leads them out of the sheepfold to refreshing water and good pasture. He is the Good Shepherd who leads his sheep to the pasture of eternal life. The second way Jesus uses the image of the sheep gate is to proclaim himself as the gate for the sheep. When he does this, he is emphasizing how he is the way of salvation: “Whoever enters through me will be saved.”

2. Shepherding the Gentiles: In the First Reading, Peter defends his actions to the Jewish Christians who confront him and explains why he baptized the Gentile Cornelius and his household and ate a meal with them. Although the early Church rejoiced that the Gentiles had accepted the Word of God, they were concerned that Peter’s table fellowship with the Gentiles went against the ritual purity protected by the Levitical regulations. Whether or not the ritual and purity laws of Moses were binding on Gentile Christians was a major problem for the early Church and would be dealt with at length at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). We know that the fruit of the death of the Good Shepherd was the salvation of both the Jews and the Gentiles. In this way, Jesus gathers all the children of God into one flock. During his public ministry, Jesus was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24). But after his Ascension, Jesus sends out his Apostles to the Gentiles to lead them into the one flock, redeemed through his sacrifice. United to Christ the Good Shepherd by love and exercising the authority granted them by Christ, the Apostles are also good shepherds. And Jesus continues to shepherd his Church at the right hand of the Father and through the successors to the Apostles.

3. Peter as a Good Shepherd: Good shepherds are led by the Holy Spirit. Peter was praying when he saw the vision of the large sheet with animals of all kinds. A heavenly voice declares that the animals are clean. Peter eventually realizes that “the distinction between clean and unclean foods symbolizes the far more important distinction between Jews as clean and Gentiles as unclean - a distinction that has now been removed in Christ” (Kurz, Acts of the Apostles, p. 171). Peter obeys God’s command and enters the house of the Gentile Cornelius, who is eager to hear the words of salvation, the words by which he and his household will be saved. Seeing the action of the Holy Spirit and seeing the desire of Cornelius for salvation in Christ, Peter sees no reason not to baptize Cornelius and his family. Peter today exercises his authority as a good shepherd: first, he seeks to feed the flock of Christ, bring them into unity, and lead them to life-giving waters; second, he cares for the flock without reserve and follows God's commands faithfully and prudently; lastly, he does not fear to expose himself to danger for the good of the flock even when people might not understand his actions. As a priest of God and overseer (bishop) of God’s flock, Peter shares in Christ’s priesthood. He knows the Father through the Son and he knows his sheep by name. Collaborating with God’s grace, he seeks to be a shepherd and priest who is worthy of faith and trust; knowing his limitations and failings as a sheep in God's flock, he understandings the misery of his brothers and is a priest who is merciful.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Good Shepherd, call me by name today. Protect me from evil and lead me to the refreshing water of eternal life. Help me to imitate you as the Good Shepherd and care for those entrusted to me.

Living the Word of God: How do I treat others? Do I use them for my own gain like a thief and a robber? Or am I focused on them as persons loved by God? Is there anyone I need to help hear the voice of the Good Shepherd? How can I help them today?