Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 26, 2021
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 the shepherd 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,
the Pharisees 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.”
Psalm 23 is probably the most popular psalm choice for funeral Masses, or at least that has been my experience. I almost look forward to it each time I go to a funeral. It is a comfort to me every time that I hear it.
“The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want…” This line echoes from the depth of my memory as I read today’s gospel passage. When my grandmother passed, I read this psalm for her funeral liturgy. I knew I could not get through a eulogy or offer any remarks at the wake without completely breaking down. But I thought that reading a familiar psalm at the liturgy would be totally doable. That was not exactly the case. I read the passage through tears, with a strained voice. I wept not only at the loss of a person who meant so much to me, but also at the beauty of the idea that she was resting with the shepherd described in those familiar lines. When I read the line in today’s gospel, “Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture,” I thought of my grandmother resting in the pasture of the Lord.
For me, the image of Jesus as the shepherd and the sheep gate in the Gospel of John is primarily a message of hope and comfort, but there is also a challenge in this passage. Can I hear his voice and go to him? Can I find my way to the sheep gate and enter into his loving presence? Can I follow him out and walk where he leads me? These things are not easy to do. As Jesus warns us today, there are many other voices that call to us and try to lead us in different directions (usually away from him). But the challenge of harkening to his voice and walking in his ways offers us not only the promise of eternal life but also more abundant life along the way.
Prayer
Dear Lord, you know each of us by name, our inmost being, our true self. We have tried for a long time to recognize your voice. Once we hear and recognize it, we feel a sense of joy—we are uplifted. Of course you know us. You created us. You are with us. You are our Shepherd and how we love to hear your voice when you draw near. Then indeed we know that we are safe. We are in your care. What can be more comforting?
Saint of the Day
Devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel began as devotion to a particular image of Mary in Genazzano, Italy.
For many years, the town of Genazzano dedicated its tithes to the construction of the beautiful basilica, Santa Maria Maggiore, in Rome. In return, a church was built in Genazzano, and the Augustinian friars took charge of the church in 1356. Many pilgrims flocked to the church to pray to Mary.
The image of Our Lady of Good Counsel, shown here, purportedly appeared miraculously on the wall of the church when it had fallen into disrepair.
Art experts say that the image is from the early fifteenth century, the only surviving portion of a much larger fresco that had covered the church walls.
As pilgrims flocked to Genazzano and asked for the intercession of Our Lady of Good Counsel, they attributed miracles and cures to Our Lady's intercession, and devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel spread throughout Italy. In 1903, Pope Leo XIII added the title to the Litany of Loreto, which honors Mary.
Popes, councils, and leagues of women have invoked her patronage and guardianship. She is the patron of the town of Essen in Germany and many of her devotees wear a white scapular as a sign of their trust in Mary.
One of the mottos inscribed on the scapular is a quote of Pope Leo XIII: "Child, listen to her counsels." Our Lady of Good Counsel is an apt title for Mary that reminds us that we can look to her as a wise mother to guide us. As Mary offered herself completely to God, to bring the divine plan of Salvation to completion, she is an excellent guide for us as we seek to make Christ's plans for us complete in our own lives.
Mary's counsel will always lead us back to her Son, our God, and therefore we can always trust that it will be very, very good.
Our Lady of Good Counsel, our mother and guide—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Our Lady of Counsel is in the public domain. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
