Fourth Week of Easter 2025 (Good Shepherd Sunday & Mother's Day)

 

This is a picture of my mom holding me shortly after I was born in 1970!

When I was in Ireland, I noticed something peculiar: sheep — everywhere — and many of them spray-painted with bright splotches of blue, red, green, or orange. 

I figured it must be some kind of rural Irish fashion trend. But I learned quickly there was a very practical reason: the farmers mark their sheep with paint to show who they belong to. 

In areas where flocks graze freely and mingle together, it’s a simple way to say, “This one is mine.”

That image comes to mind every year on Good Shepherd Sunday, especially today when Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” 

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We are His flock. We are His people — marked not with paint, but by baptism, by grace, by love. 

“This one is mine,” He says of us.

And this year, we have a special reason to reflect on this image. Just days ago, a new pope was elected.

The cardinals have chosen Pope Leo XIV to be the next chief shepherd of the Church — to be a living symbol of the Good Shepherd, guiding us in faith and unity.

Let us pray for him, that he may lead with the heart of Christ, building bridges of peace, justice, and love.

The shepherd doesn’t merely know our names — He knows our struggles. He knows what it’s like to suffer. He laid down His life for His sheep. 

And now He promises: “They shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand.” 

That’s the heart of today’s Gospel — a word of belonging and assurance. We are known. We are held. We are loved.

But it’s not just about comfort — it’s also about response. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice… and they follow me.” 

To belong to Christ is to listen to Him and to follow where He leads — even when it’s difficult.

That’s what Paul and Barnabas are doing in the first reading. They face rejection, persecution, expulsion — and yet, “the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.” 

They are following the voice of the Shepherd — boldly, joyfully — because they know Whose they are.

The reading from Revelation gives us a glimpse of where this road leads. The Lamb becomes the Shepherd. And those who endured suffering are now at peace. 

“God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” 

That promise is as tender as it is powerful.

And that brings me to one more image of shepherding — the image we celebrate today on Mother’s Day.

There is something deeply maternal about the way Jesus describes His care for us. He knows His sheep. He shelters them. He leads them to life-giving waters. He wipes away their tears.

Isn’t that what so many mothers do, too? 

They know us — sometimes better than we know ourselves. They guide us, feed us, pray for us. And they wipe away more tears than we can count — not just with tissues, but with hugs, late-night talks, encouraging words, and unwavering presence.

Many of us today give thanks for the mothers who have shepherded us — with strength, tenderness, and sacrifice. 

Others may be grieving a mother who has passed, or a strained relationship, or a longing to be a mother that remains unfulfilled.

And still others live out spiritual motherhood — teachers, mentors, godmothers, religious sisters — all who care for and guide others with a shepherd’s heart.

So today, let’s do two things.

First: remember who we are.
We are sheep of the Good Shepherd’s flock. We are known, held, and loved — forever.
Nothing can take us out of His hand.

And second: live like Him.
Live as shepherds for one another.
Listen for His voice — and then become His voice: guiding, comforting, protecting, and leading others to Him.

 In our words, in our witness, in our care — may people hear Jesus say through us: “This one is mine.”

And today, let’s pray for our new Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that he may lead us with a shepherd’s heart, following Christ closely and helping all of us to find our way safely home.