This Sermon is prepared by
Rev.Fr.Peter Jayakanthan sss
Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament
Corpus Christi Catholic Church,
Houston, Texas, US
4th Sunday of EasterDo I know my own…….!Acts4: 8-12; 1Jn3:1-2; Jn10: 11-18Dear sisters, Brothers and Children, we gather around the altar of God on this Good Shepherd Sunday as we continue to walk in the path of Our Lord. We are also called to realize our call to be a shepherd in our various responsibilities. It is a wonderful day to thank GOD for the shepherding guidance of Pope Francis in the Church. It is our responsibility to pray for vocations to the religious life and priesthood. The Good News of Jesus needs to be proclaimed always and broken hearts to be brought back into the fold. We need more priests and religious. Our holy Banquet may remind us that we belong to the one fold of Jesus Christ.What is your name? This question was asked to 5th grade children. The answers of the few were painful to me. One of them said, “I am number 3, they call me number 3, this has been my nick name, number 3,” even my friends, my companions, my teachers of course my parents call me number 3. No one knows me, no one knows my name. I miss something. I am merely a name. Cathy was in the hospital for a major surgery. The question was asked, “Do you have any family visiting and going to be with you during surgery?” Cathy said, “no one knows that I am here, nor do they want to know. My children don’t wish to talk about health issues; my husband does not want to know of my pain, and my siblings call me once a while to confirm that I still exist.” Yes, knowing a person is showing your concern, interest and willingness to be with this person personally, emotionally and spiritually. Children lose their path when parents failed to know them closely….. Young people choose the wrong path when their elders refuse to know them deeply…. People end up in depression, when others don’t want to know their darkness….. Jailers know the prisoners by numbers, but not their names…it is being impersonal…… Pastors don’t make efforts to know the names of his parish people…they are lost…. Do the bishops and provincials know all the names of their seminarians and novices…. What is the difference between knowing the name and not knowing? The readings tell us that when we do not know their name, we are a hired shepherd, working for wages. However, when we know their names, then we are part of them, we are owners of our sheep and following the Good Shepherd. We have different roles as parents, God-parents, grandparents, teachers, pastors, managers, coaches, mentors and trainers. How do we operate as leaders? Am I an ordinary hired shepherd, or as owner of our sheep? Shepherd is a well-known term used in Scripture, in Salvation History and in Church History. It was also a political title as a king was expected to be a shepherd of his people. Moses was shepherding the flock when he was called by God at the Burning Bush, Ex3:1. Samuel was directed to David a shepherd boy to choose the new king of Israel. When the people of Israel were in exile, God promised through the Prophet Ezekiel that He would restore them as a shepherd: “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them…and be their shepherd” Ezek 34:23. Peter was brought in front of the leaders and authorities who plotted to kill Jesus. Peter pointed at them as builders, as false shepherds and as hired leaders. Those corrupted leaders denied the Good Shepherd who would be the cornerstone uniting heaven and earth, connecting Jews and Gentiles and shaping humanity to participate in His divine grace. The literal translation of "cornerstone" (kephale gonias) is "head of the corner." Many scholars suggest this means the keystone of an arch that joins the two sides. Whether it is the keystone of an arch or the foundation stone of a building, the meaning is clear: the Old Covenant leadership rejected and treated with contempt the capstone essential for the restoration of the people of God, and the only means for mankind's salvation. "God whispers to us in our pleasures, he speaks to us in our consciences, and he shouts to us in our pain!" (C.S. Lewis). Who is a hired shepherd or a hired leader? • Works for wages…self-centered • Walks behind the sheep, will run away when wild animals attack • Have a baton to control • Does not know the voice, name and person by name Who is a good shepherd or owner? • Owning the sheep…..feeling part of the group • Walking before the sheep….to protect against wild animals (wolf) and enemies • Having a staff to fight and willing to laying down to save them • Shepherd knows the voice, sound and name…he calls them • He counts in the morning and at the night as he knows and remembers them • He tends them; He smells them and their need The hired shepherd will run away because he was not emotionally, spiritually and personally attached and involved. The good shepherd will remain with his flock in times of danger and threat, taking on the role of the gatekeeper. When Jesus said, “I am the Gate,” the people of Judea in the 1st Century AD, would have understood shepherding responsibilities. They brought a number of flocks of sheep together at night into one enclosed sheepfold, where they could be watched over by a few shepherds who protected them from predators. It was common for stone-enclosed sheepfolds not to have a gate, so the shepherd would sleep in the opened entrance of the sheepfold to protect the sheep. Thus, the shepherd, in effect, used his own body as the protective "gate" to the sheepfold. In the morning when the other shepherds returned, the gateway would be opened and each shepherd would call his own sheep. Each animal knew the sound of its own shepherd's voice, and so they would come to him to be led out of the shelter. Jesus' body will become the "gate" into the sheepfold. When the great Emperor Alexander was crossing over the Makran desert towards Persia, the entire troop ran out of water and the soldiers were dying of thirst under the burning sun. The lieutenant managed to get some water from the caravan in his helmet. Alexander asked the lieutenant “Is there enough water for me and for the army?” When they said, “no”, immediately, in front of the soldiers, he poured the water from his helmet onto the ground. The soldiers knew him; he knows that his soldiers would not suffer alone. Bp. Oscar Romero walked in the front, he knew his flock and he laid down his life for freedom… Gandhi laid down to protect the freedom of India……Nelson Mandela also laid down a precious 25 years in prison for the freedom of his people. Dear parents and grandparents, teachers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, priests, ministers, and mentors, shall we know our own? Shall we protect our own from the destructive social media and from the irreligious world? Jesus is calling you to shepherd them as He shepherds us-Amen. 
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