I Am the Good Shepherd
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 10:14-15
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.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, tune our inner ear to the sound of your voice — that amidst the noise of our days we might recognize you calling us by name.
Reflection
Knowing and being known — this is the heartbeat of John’s Gospel. The Father knows the Son. The Son knows the Father. The shepherd knows his sheep. The sheep know the shepherd. And into this circle of knowing, we are invited.
The image of the shepherd is one of the oldest and most beloved in all of Scripture. But in Jesus’s use of it, something shifts. He does not say the good shepherd manages the sheep efficiently or keeps them safe through skill. He says the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The distinguishing mark is not competence but sacrifice.
This is how we know the voice of the real shepherd: it calls us toward love, toward truth, toward self-giving — not toward self-protection or self-promotion. The voice of the Good Shepherd tends to ask more of us, not less. It calls us toward growth, toward the harder thing, toward the person we are capable of becoming.
The false voices in our lives tend to be loud and urgent. They promise ease, certainty, belonging at the cost of integrity. They tell us what we want to hear. The shepherd’s voice, by contrast, is often quiet — a persistent truth that doesn’t go away, a gentle restlessness, a pull toward something more real.
For small groups: spend some time in silence today. Practice the discipline of listening. What voices are competing for your attention — and which of them, if you follow it, tends to lead you toward life, toward love, toward becoming more fully yourself in Christ?
The sheep who know the shepherd are not passive. Knowing his voice, they follow. That is its own kind of active, attentive obedience.
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Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post