Christ Our Light Catholic Church - Loudonville, NY

April 21 and 21, 2024
Fourth Sunday of Easter

From Ann McCauley

The following is an excerpt from a reflection from Mary M. McGlone, a Sister of St. Joseph of Carondelet, who currently serves on the Congregational Leadership Team.

In this week’s Gospel, Jesus makes seven famous statements beginning with the words "I am." Each of them reflects something said about God in the Hebrew Scriptures. Yet, of them all, Jesus' statement "I am the good shepherd" is the only one in which he describes himself with a human role. When Jesus spoke of himself as bread, light, resurrection, etc., those descriptions indicated what he offers humankind. When he said, "I am the good shepherd," he moved into the realm of his own costly freedom and his mutual relationships with God and God’s followers.

Except for blessing the bread as his body given for his own, Jesus never explained his dedication to his flock more clearly. In this, he is not only the model shepherd, but also the model human being who has discovered the purpose of his life and chooses to fulfill it without reservation. Jesus describes the heart of his relationship with his flock by saying, "I know mine and mine know me." He tells people who pride themselves on being his own — both in his day and in ours — that he is the shepherd. Membership in his flock depends only on hearing and following his voice; it can't be defined by rituals or formal membership in any special group. His self-description as the good shepherd summarizes Christian theology; it tells us the purpose of creation and the Incarnation was to bring all into one in God.

We can always recognize his voice in those that call us into love and freedom and ever-broader solidarity. If we ask "Why?", his simple answer might be, "Because you are mine."