Fourth Sunday of Easter (Cycle A) "Good Shepherd Sunday"
The Good Shepherd Lectionary: 49 Reading 1 - Acts 2:14a, 36-41 Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 23: 1-6 Reading 2 - 1 Peter 2:20b-25 Alleluia - John 10:14 Gospel - John 10:1-10 I am the good shepherd, says the Lord! So we have reached the mid-point of the Easter Season and come to what is unofficially known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” because every year at this time we read from John 10, the famous “Good Shepherd Discourse.” For the most part, the readings are focused around the idea of Jesus Christ as our divine Shepherd. But what is a shepherd like? Now, let’s be honest: most of us have never actually spent much time with a literal sheep. We tend to romanticize them as fluffy, docile creatures on greeting cards. Case in point, despite having midwestern farmers as parents, my experience with sheep is limited to petting zoos and the movie Babe … where except for a very talented pig, Shepherds often drive sheep in different directions using dogs to intimidate them...
