Today’s readings from the Acts of the Apostle and the Gospel of John remind us that Jesus died on the Cross for the salvation of all mankind. In the Acts of the Apostle, we hear that the “Apostles and the brothers. . . heard that the Gentiles too had accepted the word of God.” Simon Peter proclaimed that “[if] then God gave them the same gift he gave to us when we came to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to be able to hinder God?” To which the apostles and the brothers replied, saying: “God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too.” Then, in today’s Gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ affirmed this when he said: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.”
One flock. One shepherd. Sounds familiar? In the post-war era, the Knights of Columbus initiated a campaign for the public adoption of the phrase “under God” in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. Their efforts came to fruition in 1954 under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. One Nation. Under God. One flock. One shepherd. When Pope Leo XIV appeared at the balcony overlooking St. Peter’s Square, his first words were “Peace be with you.” The Holy Father was not only calling for Christian unity but for unity and peace among all peoples of goodwill. Jesus is the Prince of Peace sent by God the Father, through the mystery of the Incarnation: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). One flock. One shepherd, the Good Shepherd.
My sisters and brothers in Christ, Jesus is the Good Shepherd who “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.” We know this by faith because Christ tells us: “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd; we are the sheep of his flock. To follow the Good Shepherd is to put into action these words that our Lord Jesus Christ said as he hung on the Cross for the redemption of the entire world: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” In other words, when Jesus commands us to “love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. . . [and to] love your neighbor as yourself,” it is neither a motto to know with our minds nor words to keep in our hearts, but a call to action that moves us to live in peace and unity with our sisters and brothers through charity that is inspired by our faith that gives rise to hope, hope in our Risen Lord, The Good Shepherd.
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