Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter, April 27, 2026

Gospel

John 10:11-18

Jesus said:

“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.”

Reflection

In this Gospel we see Jesus call Himself the Good Shepard. Unlike the hired man who runs at the first sign of danger, Jesus remains to guide His sheep saying, "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". This is the truth as He did lay down His life for each and every one of us. This shows the depth of His love and sacrifice as even the sheep who feel distant, lost, or outside the fold are not forgotten. He continues to seek and lead us even when we wander away or struggle. While most of us are not called to sacrifice our lives as He did, we are still called to live sacrificially. These sacrifices can be small... our time, our patience, choosing kindness when it’s difficult, and putting others before ourselves. They help us to become more like Christ and grow closer to Him.

What also stood out to me was the closeness Jesus describes, “I know mine and mine know me.” This kind of knowing isn’t just surface-level, but implies relationship, trust, and familiarity. It reminds me of what the priest shared in the homily from this past Sunday, that we come to recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd through proximity and frequency. If we are distant from Jesus, and only turn to Him occasionally, His voice will become harder to recognize. But by staying close to Him through daily prayer, we begin to hear and recognize His voice more clearly.