Jesus sums up a long Biblical tradition when he says “I am the good shepherd.” The prophets and the psalmist had yearned for a time when God himself would come to shepherd his people Israel. This yearning is realized in Jesus himself. What makes him good? The Gospel for today specifies two things: his willingness to lay down his life for his sheep, and the fact that he knows his sheep personally, recognizing their voices.
Mass Readings
Reading 1 – Acts 4:8-12
Psalm – Psalm 118: 1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29
Reading 2 – 1 John 3:1-2
Gospel – John 10:11-18