Homily 30 April 2023: John 10:1-10

Please read this passage before reading the homily.

My sisters and brothers,

Jesus is shepherd of his sheep.  He is likewise the door to the sheepfold.  Jesus is the shepherd who is likewise the gate and Jesus is the gate who is likewise the shepherd for his sheep.  Jesus is the be all and end all for the sheep.

The gate gives the sheep the security of the sheepfold.  The shepherd, the one who knows the sheep, leads them safely to pasture.  Those who climb into the sheepfold in a different way from Jesus’ way are thieves and robbers.

The word shepherd is often translated as pastor.  The word pastor is related to words describing food, such as pasta and tomato paste.  Shepherds, or pastors, feed their flocks.

Jesus, our shepherd, has the power to nurture us for eternal life because he is God and also human.  He gives human food because he was born of the virgin Mary.  He likewise gives eternal life because from all eternity, he is our God.

Jesus is gate.  Gates have two sides, one facing out and one facing in.  On one side Jesus is God and on the other he is human.

Jesus nurtures us with his body and blood, and by nurturing us he shares with us his divine nature because he shares with us our human nature.  Jesus makes us become divine beings because we share his divine nature.

Jesus is gate.  He has a human side and a divine side.  Through Jesus, who was born of the virgin, we enter through the gate in Jesus the God-Man.  The gate that is Jesus opens up so that together in him, we come to the Father.

There is much more.  Jesus has made us to be Jesus in the world of today.  We are gate and shepherd.  We have to nurture and lead those others so that they can enter through the gate and, by means of the shepherd, come to eternal life.

Jesus, who is God and human, is our shepherd and the gate between heaven and earth.  We, you and I, are likewise shepherd and gate because we share the divine nature of Jesus in his Church.

We believe that Jesus shares our human nature with his divine nature.  We likewise believe that we share the divine nature of Jesus with our human nature.  Therefore, we have to believe that we share the task of Jesus the shepherd and the task of Jesus the gate with Jesus.  We have the obligation of walking with the sheep and feeding them.  We have the obligation of saving all the others as Jesus who is shepherd and gate with us.  It is our responsibility to be shepherd and gate with Jesus.