Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
April 27, 2026
Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why 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 on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
Reflection
I have spent the past 36 years of my professional life in higher education. For me, therefore, the first message of the passage about the Good Shepherd is the Lord’s reminder of the pivotal role we as educators play in the lives of the young people entrusted to us for the short time they spend in college.
Christ draws a distinction between a mere job, which is done for pay, and the relationship he offers: one of trust that is born of love and total dedication to protect the beloved. Christ also said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me.” For educators, particularly at a university like Notre Dame, emulating Christ the Good Shepherd means an unwavering commitment to the promotion of truth; its pursuit is a path to the Lord.
In fact, Christ is a model for all of us who have responsibilities for shepherding other souls. Whether as teachers, administrators, mentors, coaches, parents, or friends, emulating Christ means having the courage to speak the truth, even when doing so brings criticism, disapproval, or social opprobrium. It always has; it always will.
But the second message within the parable of the Good Shepherd is one that should strengthen our hope and our resolve. Christ told his audience 2,000 years ago (and tells us, today) that he has “other sheep that do not belong to this fold,” that they will hear his voice, and that ultimately, “there will be one flock.”
The divisions, hatred, and warfare, particularly those prompted by religious disagreement, will not last forever. For our part, we should share the Lord’s Good News humbly and joyfully; we do not know the role we might play in bringing others into the fold.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, you have given Jesus authority over all your creatures, over each one of us. He exercises his authority by having become one with us in our flesh and blood, in our struggles and hopes. Help us to be so closely united with Jesus that our truest selves will be molded in Jesus’ likeness. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Zita is a popular Italian saint whose extreme popularity far outstrips her humble life.
Zita was born around the year 1212 in the Tuscan region of northern Italy. To help out her impoverished family, Zita took a position in the household of a wealthy landowner. Zita was not always treated with kindness and respect, and she was often overburdened with work from her employers and the other servants who worked with her.
Despite the ill-treatment, Zita remained patient and kind towards all her coworkers. Through her persistent charity, Zita managed to persevere in a Christ-like joy. Her witness inspired her employers to become more devoted Christians. Zita went to Mass each morning, which gave her the energy to persevere in love, even in the midst of pain.
One commonly told anecdote about Zita recounts the presence of angels at her work station in the kitchen. Zita left her work one morning to care for a family in need. Other servants in the kitchen, hoping to get her in trouble, reported to the Fatinelli family that Zita had left her post, accusing her of shirking her work and being lazy. When Zita's employers came down to the kitchen to investigate, they found angels in the kitchen, baking the bread in Zita's place.
Zita died on April 27, 1272. She had lived to be sixty years old. The Fatinelli family immediately started praying to Zita and invoking her aid. Through their intercession, Zita became a widely invoked saint. Over 150 miracles were credited to her before Zita was canonized in 1696.
In 1580, Zita's body was exhumed and found to be incorrupt. Since then, it has been on display for veneration at the Basilica in Lucca. For centuries, families have baked a loaf of bread on St. Zita's feast. You can participate in this tradition by baking one of the bread recipes for St. Zita's day with your family or friends.
St. Zita, patron saint of household workers and finding lost keys—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Zita is available for use under a Creative Commons license. Last accessed February 21, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
