I am the good shepherd - 26-04-2026

Published on April 25, 2026

Fourth Sunday of Easter

First Reading

Acts 2,14.36-41.

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice,
and proclaimed: "You who are Jews, indeed all of you staying in Jerusalem.
Let this be known to you, and listen to my words.
Therefore let the whole house of Israel know for certain
that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified."
Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart,
and they asked Peter and the other apostles,
"What are we to do, my brothers?"
Peter (said) to them, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you,
in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins;
and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.
For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off,
whomever the Lord our God will call."
He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them,
"Save yourselves from this corrupt generation."
Those who accepted his message were baptized,
and about three thousand persons were added that day.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 23(22),1-3a.3b-4.5.6.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths
for His names's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.

Second Reading

1 Pet 2,20-25.

But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong?
But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
"He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered,
he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that,
free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
By his wounds you have been healed.
For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned
to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Gospel

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."

YOUCAT Reflection

259 How is the universal priesthood of all the faithful different from the ordained priesthood?

Through Baptism Christ has made us into a kingdom of "priests to his God and Father" (Rev 1,6). Through the universal priesthood, every Christian is called to work in the world in God's name and to bring blessings and grace to it. In the Upper Room during the Last Supper and when he commissioned the apostles, however, Christ equipped some with a sacred authority to serve the faithful; these ordained priests represent Christ as pastors (shepherds) of his people and as head of his Body, the Church.

Using the same word, "priest", for two related things that nevertheless "differ essentially and not only in degree" (Second Vatican Council, LG 10, 2) often leads to misunderstandings. On the one hand, we should observe with joy that all the baptized are "priests" because we live in Christ and share in everything he is and does. Why, then, do we not call down a permanent blessing on this world? On the other hand, we must rediscover God's gift to his Church, the ordained priests, who represent the Lord himself among us.

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The allegory of the Good Shepherd and, in it, the image of the fold, are of fundamental importance to understand what the Church is and what tasks she has to carry out in the history of man. Not only must the Church be a "fold", but she must actualize this mystery, which is always being accomplished between Christ and man: the mystery of the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. This is what St Augustine says of her: "will he, who sought you first when you despised him instead of seeking him, despise you, O sheep, if you seek him? Begin, therefore, to seek him, the one who sought you first and carried you on his shoulders. Make his words come true: the sheep that belong to me listen to my voice and follow me" (Enarrationes in Psalmos, Ps LXIX, 6).