THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD

HOMILY FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR A

Rev. Fr. Peter Onyekachi Ezekoka

Acts 2:14, 36-41        1Peter 2:20-25        John 10:1-10

The well-known Psalm 23 (22), a psalm of David, is a paean to the actions of God as the Good Shepherd. The title of God as ‘Shepherd’ of His people is a motif throughout the Bible from Genesis (Gen 48:24) to Revelation (7:17). In the Psalms and in the Prophets, for instance, God is the shepherd of Israel, he who leads Joseph’s flock (Ps 80:1), and He will keep [us] as a shepherd keeps his flock (Jer 31:10). You may recall that, before he became king of Israel, David wrestled with many challenges including, crucially, the threat to his life posed by King Saul. This threat may well have prompted David, himself a shepherd (cf. Ps 78: 70-72), to compose this psalm of trust in God, who is understood here as the good and faithful shepherd of His flock, the flock embodying the people of God. We human beings are rather like sheep, in the sense that we do not always make the best decisions for ourselves; fortunately, we are assured that, as our Good Shepherd, God never takes His eyes off us. In the New Testament, our Lord takes up this title to describe how committed He is to our welfare and to our well-being. In today’s Gospel, our Lord uses the analogy of Himself as both ‘Shepherd’ and ‘Gate of the sheepfold’ to explain how He pastures us, guides us and protects us. For our part, if we always go through Jesus as the gate to the sheepfold, we will find peace, nourishment and security. Let us unpack this beautiful psalm of David, which begins with the affirmative statement: The Lord is my shepherd.

1. I shall not want; He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me besides still waters (cf. vv.1-2). These comforting verses reveal God to us as our provider: because His provision is perfect, full and gracious, He is capable of providing everything we need. He is God, the Good Shepherd, who leads us, His flock, to lush green pastures rather than arid wastes, and to quiet waters rather than turbulent waters, reviving and strengthening us to give us vitality, to give us life in all its fullness. In our struggles with the vicissitudes of daily life, the Lord invites us to come to Him and ‘lie down in green pastures to be fed’, just as Jesus directed the five thousand to sit down on the grass (cf. Mt 14:19) in order to be fed. In our fallen world afflicted by poverty, pain and strife, we discover to our joy this message of hope about God who provides for His flock.

2. He restores (revives) my soul; he leads me in the path of righteousness for his name’s sake (vv. 3-4). These enthralling words reveal God to us as our sanctifier. He cares for our souls. He quickens the longing of our souls for Him so that they never tire of desiring to be with Him, to love Him, to follow His direction. In our battle against human frailty, the Lord directs us in the way of righteousness: the law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul (cf. Ps.19:7); the Lord leads us in the way of uprightness (cf. Prov. 4:11). What a salvific message for souls thirsting for God in our materialistic environment, where sheep scatter distractedly in their pursuit of material satisfaction.

3. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me (v. 4). This reassuring verse reveals God to us as our protector. The Good Shepherd protects us and wards off prey, both human and demonic. He denotes Himself as the ‘Gate of the sheepfold’. In our struggle against insecurity, the Lord leads us out like sheep and guides us in the wilderness like a flock (cf. Ps. 78:52) and He tends his flocks like a shepherd, and gathers the lambs in his arms he carries them in his bosom, and gently leads those who are with young (Isaiah 40:11). In an era marred by rancour and insecurity, what a heartening message of protection and peace this is for God’s flock, God’s people.  

4. You prepare a banquet for me in the presence of my enemies (v. 5a). This emboldening declaration reveals God to us as the One who vindicates the righteous, the righteous being those who follow God’s law. In an epoch where abuses of power and travesties of justice abound, we have the assurance of our Lord’s ultimate vindication of those who do what is right in His eyes. Despite our weariness in the face of interminable injustice, calumny and hatred, we are assured that the Good Shepherd will acquit us if we are loyal to Him rather than to the ancient serpent who is called the devil and satan … He casts away the accuser of our brethren (Rev. 12:9-10) and sets us free. If the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you will be free indeed (John 8:36). For the millions worldwide who endure daily persecution because of their devotion to God, and for those in the West whose freedom to worship is being radically curtailed, this message is one to which we cling in blessed hope.

5. You anoint my head with oil (v. 5bi). This consoling pronouncement reveals God to us as our sacramental Healer. The result of this anointing with oil is the forgiveness of our trespasses, the restoration of our relationship with the Good Shepherd and the healing of our souls. Just as oil serves both to lubricate and prevent corrosion, the Good Shepherd and Guardian of our souls (1Pet 2:25) anoints us to keep us constantly lubricated in His goodness. In our endeavours to combat physical and spiritual ailments, we are reminded [in the Second Reading] by St. Peter that our Lord bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds, we have been healed. The Lord our God anoints us with the oil of gladness beyond our companions (cf. Ps. 45:7). In a time when so many are searching for healing and deliverance from physical and spiritual ailments, we have the absolute assurance of the actively healing presence of the Good Shepherd.

6. My cup overflows (v. 5bii). This announcement reveals God as giving to us in extravagant abundance. God gave the Israelites bread from heaven in abundance (cf. Psalm 105:40). It is life that the Good Shepherd gives us abundantly: I have come that they may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10). In the Acts of the Apostles (the First Reading), the message of God’s open-handed abundance for those seeking genuine fullness of life both here and in eternity attracted an extraordinary number of ‘sheep’ to follow the Good Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. 

7. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord, forever and ever (v. 6). These mind-blowing words reveal God assuring us of eternal life with Him! In the end, the soul’s longing and yearning to live eternally with God will be satisfied … and it will be satisfied entirely out of God’s goodness and mercy towards each one of His followers. Whenever we harbour doubts of our worthiness to enjoy eternal life in God, it is helpful to remind ourselves of the eternal desire of the Good Shepherd to lead us, his ‘sheep’, into eternal happiness in heaven. This is the destination to which the Good Shepherd leads us at the end of our physical life here on earth. In a world where the emphasis is solely upon life here on earth - ‘eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die’ and ‘when you’re dead, you’re dead’ – it is incumbent upon us who love God to listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd and to follow His direction, in order to live to the full the eternal life both today and in the hereafter. This is one thing we ask of the Lord; to dwell in His house forever (Ps 27:4).

The representation of our Lord to us as the Good Shepherd gives us an intimation of Who He Is and of the intimacy (in the sense of divine-to-human interconnectedness) of the relationship to which He calls us. The intimate experience of the mystery of His infinite love and eternal desire for our happiness is humbling, while the intimate experience of His goodness and concern for us is overwhelming. In the spirit of this intimate relationship with the Good Shepherd, we pray on Vocations Sunday (which we celebrate today) for pastoral vocations - vocations to the priesthood and religious life. May each one of us, whether lay or ordained, be devoted followers of our Lord, the Good Shepherd. We remember before Him, in a special way today, all the leaders of the Church and of the world, that each and every one of them may be inspired by the example of Christ the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us, His sheep. Amen. God bless you.