One Flock, One Shepherd: Sharing in Christ’s Mission
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 10:1-18
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he 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.
Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture. A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. 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. 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. This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father.
Grace Prayed For
Pray for the grace to recognize and trust the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd, to receive His love deeply, and to share that same love freely in every encounter.
Reflection
In this passage, Jesus reveals the heart of intimacy with Him: He knows us, calls us by name, and walks ahead of us. Intimacy is not built on fear or force, but on recognition—His voice is familiar, tender, and life-giving. He is not a distant master but a Shepherd who protects, provides, and gives His very life so that we may live abundantly.
Jesus’s love is the foundation of all intimacy: it is total, self-giving, and freely offered. He invites us to trust His voice over the noise of strangers who would lead us astray. To follow Him is to let His love shape our steps, to rest in His pasture, and to walk where He leads—even into sacrifice and self-giving love for others.
This love is never meant to stop with us. As His sheep, we are drawn into His mission: to gather all into one flock under one Shepherd. His love transforms us so that every encounter becomes an opportunity to echo His voice—to speak words of mercy, to extend forgiveness, to embody gentleness, and to proclaim that in Jesus there is abundant life. The intimacy we receive becomes the intimacy we share.
To join this mission is to live as those who have been personally loved, called, and saved. The Shepherd’s life laid down for us becomes our pattern of life—pouring out ourselves so that others, too, may hear His voice and find life.
Announcing Jesus in Our Lives
Evangelizing in Daily Life
Ways to Evangelize in Daily Life
- Listen deeply to others, offering presence that reflects the Shepherd’s care.
- Speak gently of Jesus in conversations, testifying to how His love has brought you peace or healing.
- Serve quietly and faithfully, putting others before yourself as a reflection of Jesus’s sacrificial love.
- Forgive readily, letting reconciliation be a living witness of Christ’s mission to gather all into one flock.
- Invite others into prayer or the sacraments, gently showing them the pasture where life is abundant.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
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