Daily Gospel Reflection
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April 30, 2023
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.”
There is a portion of my morning commute in which four lanes of traffic quickly merge into two. As a life-long rule follower, I merge at the first “Lane Ending” sign, then proceed to watch car after car speed by to cut in at the last moment. On days when I am running particularly late, I start wondering how much time I might save if I tried the approach of these other drivers. What am I gaining by playing by the rules after all?
Our journey toward peace in communion with Christ can often feel like my morning commute. Many temptations seek to lure us into taking the faster route to what we think will bring fulfillment, or as Jesus puts it in today’s gospel, into climbing the fence between ourselves and the sheepfold.
Why must we walk all the way around the pasture to the single gate while others climb over the fence with their ladders built from worldly successes? The path over the fence could be disguised as a promotion that is sure to offer us financial peace or a new relationship that promises security in our social circles. Jesus reminds us that he is the gate; through him alone, we may enter into the peace and security of his pasture.
Like the Pharisees, it can be challenging for us to understand the words of Jesus no matter how many times we hear them. As we continue to celebrate the resurrection of Christ at Easter, may we strive to direct our lives away from comparison and temptation and toward Christ and his will, that we may enter through him into the pasture of his love, and dwell in the peace only he can offer.
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
St. Eutropius was an early Christian who was killed for trying to evangelize people in what is now southwestern France.
He was sent from the Church in Rome in the third century to accompany St. Denis in spreading the good news. Eutropius was declared bishop of Saintes, France, but the people there refused him and sent him away. He took up residence in a cave outside of the city, and would instruct in the faith anyone who visited him.
Among the people he converted was Eustella, the daughter of the Roman governor of that region. When her father discovered Eutropius had baptized her, he drove her from the household and ordered Eutropius killed. Eustella found Eutropius murdered in his cell, and that is where she buried him.
Eutropius is depicted in this stained glass window from the reliquary chapel in the Basilica, which shows his relics being carried in a procession. His relics rest there as well.
St. Eutropius, you were ostracized and killed for preaching the good news—pray for us!