By René Rebolledo Salinas, Archbishop of La Serena
Today, May 11, the Christian community celebrates the Fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, for the Gospel proclaimed and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, held annually on this day. Last Thursday, May 8, with joy and gratitude to God, we received the announcement of a new successor of Peter and pastor of the universal Church, His Holiness Leo XIV. We pray in communion for the fruitfulness of his apostolic ministry. We entrust it to Jesus Christ, the Supreme Shepherd, and to the intercession of the Holy Virgin.
We return again and again in this column to the centrality of the Word of God. Indeed, it offers us the content of the celebration and perspectives to consider for our personal, family, and community daily life. It is reflected in the first reading, Acts 13:14, 43-52; the responsorial Psalm 99:1-3, 5; the second reading, Revelation 7:9, 14-17; and the Gospel of John 10:27-30.
The announcement is part of the well-known chapter 10 of the Fourth Gospel, which presents Christ as the Good Shepherd and also the Gateway for shepherds and sheep. This Sunday, the final part of this chapter, which describes the Shepherd-sheep relationship, falls on the Gospel.
The intimate union of Jesus with his Father is highlighted on the page: “ The Father and I are one ” (v 30), as well as the one he establishes with humanity, through the metaphor of the Shepherd and the sheep: “ My sheep hear my voice, I know them and they follow me; I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand ” (vv 27-28).
Hearing such beautiful expressions from our Lord regarding his intimate union with the Father, as well as with us, feelings of profound gratitude spontaneously spring up. Deep gratitude for his shepherding of the people he loves, the community of the faithful. Sunday after Sunday—the Lord's Day, the first of the week—we experience his love, goodness, and mercy. He nourishes us with the words of eternal life; he gives himself to us also in his Body and Blood, so that in him we may " have abundant life " (Jn 10:10), along with the fraternal and fervent witness of the community that celebrates him, itself the true Body of Christ.
Let us learn from our Lord’s shepherding of us, attitudes manifested above all in the knowledge He shows: “ I know them and they follow me ” (v 27), in offering His life for us: “ I give them eternal life ” (v 28), for He watches over and defends us: “ They shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand ” (v 28). The life that the Lord offers to His own is the one He has experienced with the Father and communicates abundantly to all.
On this day, we also celebrate the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations. On March 19, 2025, the Holy Father Francis sent the Message entitled: " Pilgrims of Hope: The Gift of Life ." I encourage you to read and reflect on it.