4th Sunday of Easter, Year A (Apr 26, 2026)

The Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally called Good Shepherd Sunday, when the readings invite us to contemplate one of the most tender images in all of Scripture: Christ as the shepherd who leads and cares for his flock.

In an interesting way, this Sunday forms a quiet bookend with the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Both Sundays proclaim Psalm 23 as the Responsorial Psalm:

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

And both Sundays invite us to reflect on the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep.

On the Fourth Sunday of Lent, we heard the story of Jesus healing the man born blind in John chapter 9. Today’s Gospel moves to the next chapter, where Jesus deepens that revelation by describing himself as the gate through which the sheep enter. Jesus says:

The sheep hear his voice.
He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

It is an image of trust, recognition, and belonging.

This Gospel passage always reminds me of a moment from my college days in Ventura County, California. Our campus was surrounded by rolling hills and open fields where sheep grazed peacefully in the mornings.

One day at sunrise, I was walking along the edge of the campus when I heard the sound of someone singing, gently drifting across the hillside.

As I looked up the trail, I saw a young shepherd walking slowly along the path. Behind him followed a small flock of sheep. They moved calmly in his direction, attentive to his soothing voice. Their soft bleating seemed almost like a quiet harmony accompanying his song.

In that peaceful moment, the words of the Gospel suddenly felt very real:

The sheep hear his voice… and they follow him.

But the image of the shepherd in John’s Gospel carries more than comfort. It also carries challenge. In the previous chapter, the Pharisees refused to believe that God could work through Jesus, even after he restored sight to the man born blind. That conflict continues in today’s passage when Jesus speaks bluntly:

All who came before me are thieves and robbers,
but the sheep did not listen to them.

The voice of the true shepherd is different. His voice leads not to confusion or fear, but to life. And not merely life in the ordinary sense, but life overflowing with grace.

I came so that they might have life
and have it more abundantly.

The First Letter of Peter echoes that same image with quiet reassurance:

You had gone astray like sheep,
but you have now returned
to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

The shepherd imagery woven throughout the Bible is rich with hope. Our shepherd knows us personally. He gently calls each of us by name. He walks before us and leads us to abundant life – even when we wander and lose our way.

Listen carefully. The voice of the Good Shepherd still echoes across the hills of Easter morning.