Jesus affirms He is the Good Shepherd who gives (lays down) His life for the sheep. He knows His sheep by name and He cares for them; not only those inside but also the ones out and lost. Where else can we find such a Good Shepherd as He?

“A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Only these words are more than enough for all of us to enter the entire mystery of Easter. It is not ordinary for a shepherd to lay down his life for his sheep. In this short gospel, these words are underscored at least five times. Maybe we got so accustomed to this image that we are no longer amazed as it should. Here is the whole object we celebrate in memory of Him. These words were repeated by Him in many other ways. The most explicit one was when He said: “This is my body... This is my blood for you...” Only in the eucharistic dimension can we have a full grasp of what He is telling us this Sunday. He takes the risks of defending the sheep against the predators who only come to destroy.

“I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me...” In the confusion of the fold, He knows each by name. The sheep can use masks, not the protective ones, but the ones that make them look false, superficial, etc. But He knows but never sends them away. He desires to heal each one of their fears and deceptive ways. Usually, there is a gap between what people see and what is really inside them. He knows all as He knows the Father and the Father knows Him. The Good Shepherd knows like no one else does.

“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.” Jesus is the point around which we all can gather for he gathers everyone to himself. In a divided world like ours, the tendency is to remember only about the self and about those who are inside of the fold. The Good Shepherd remembers those who are out and commits Himself: “These also I must lead.” Here is the mission coming about. Not only His mission but the one of every disciple. The Shepherd desires to lead the others to His fold. They are lost, they don’t know Him but His fold is a place where each one can consider home. The Shepherd is aware of how precious each one is that the Father has given Him. To lead them to the fold is to recover their lives and bring them to the fullness of life. There is no limit to His care – Love. Thinking about the ones outside the fold is the most evident proof of the share in the mission He mandates to each of the believers.

The Good Shepherd is the one who gives, knows, and cares. On this Sunday for prayer for Vocations, we look at Him. May He increase in us the desire to give life as He does: to know Him as we are known by Him, to care for this precious gift of our call.