This 4^th. Sunday of Easter is called "of the Good Shepherd", for the Gospel present Jesus through this figure He himself used. "I am the good shepherd"! Then He describes in details what it means to be a good shepherd, against that of the hired shepherd.

To understand the full meaning of this figure we need to remember atleast one text from the Old Testament in which it is used. In the Book of the prophet Ezechiel, God reproves the false shepherds of Israel and promise that He himself shall lead His people, and He does it through His servant David (through his desendent of course, for David lived long before!). Then, Psalm 22 that says "The Lord is my shepherd"! Presenting Himself as "the good" shepherd, Jesus reveals himself as the One sent by God. God makes himself present amongst us!

Through this figure, Jesus makes us feel how much He loves each and every one of his disciples! Tenderness and love, security and fulfilled life are the areas in which one feels enfolded entrusting oneself to a "good" shepherd! A sheep, or better a disciple that follows Jesus, wont fear the danger of the wolf that wants to snatch and disperd. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me", says the Psalm of the Shepherd! The Christian is not only protected from the enemy, but is invited for a personal relationship of trust. "I know my sheep and my sheep know me…"! The Christians knows that he is introduced by his Lord in a community, in which he in harmony with all the others who belong to other nations and peoples. "I have other sheep who are not of this flock". Jesus is not only a shepherd of the Jewish people (this flock), but of the peoples of the whole world. Even the followers of other religions in the world find in Him the one who loves them and leads them to the Father, eitherwise they wont be able to know and love God as Father, and would never come to know that they are loved by Him. If not, they would live continuously in the terror of an unknown God!

For the security and serenity of the disciple, Jesus needs to stand between us and our enemy, even to give up His life. He is committed to give it up generously and willingly. Thus He shows and gives us his love! Truly He is The Good Shepherd!

At this point we remember how the risen Jesus, meeting with Peter on the shore of the lake, after confirming His love for him, entrusted him for three times with the ministry of feeding His sheep! Jesus, the shepherd, gives His apostles the ministry to be for the believers a real sign of His presence! Because of this, today, with all our brothers and sisters in the world, we want to pray so that the Father may call and send others so that these make present a tangible and living presence of the Jesus The Shepherd: we pray for vocations to the ministry, so that in the various communities there is always someone who fulfills the ministry of tenderness and strength, of guiding, and to take care of the necessities to keep united, protected and nourished of the true spiritual food of the flock!

In the First Reading, st. Peter helps us to remember that Jesus is the only Saviour, the only One that can make us worthy of the Father. We need to want to remain always in His flock so not to get lost by the enemy. With His death Jesus fulfilled our salvation, and the miracles done in His name by His disciples witness to His ressurection, and are therefore an assurance that He, and only He, is the foundation of our faith and our hope!

In His person we see and feel the great love of the Father, of which st. John speak to us (2^nd. Reading). The great love of the Father makes us His beloved sons and daughters! What this means to Him, we cannot know it now, but we shall know Him when we shall see Him in all His glory in eternity! Meanwhile, let us enjoy His leadership as He leads us with tenderness! Guided by His ways, fulfilled by His bread, quenched by His living water, corrected and defended by His staff, followed and protected by His look full of joy!