20260426 BEING THE GATE TO THE GOOD SHEPHERD
26 April 2026, Sunday, 4th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 2:14,36-41 |
'God has made him both Lord and Christ'
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’
Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 22(23) |
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these you give me comfort.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever.
The Lord is my shepherd: there is nothing I shall want.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading | 1 Peter 2:20-25 |
You have come back to the shepherd of your souls
The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty.
This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 10:1-10 |
I am the gate of the sheepfold
Jesus said:
‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’
Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.
So Jesus spoke to them again:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold.
All others who have come
are thieves and brigands;
but the sheep took no notice of them.
I am the gate.
Anyone who enters through me will be safe:
he will go freely in and out
and be sure of finding pasture.
The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come
so that they may have life and have it to the full.’
BEING THE GATE TO THE GOOD SHEPHERD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 2:14.36-41; Ps 23; 1 Pet 2:20-25; Jn 10:1-10]
Today, the Church celebrates Good Shepherd Sunday. This is the day when we are called to remember Jesus as our Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep. In the Gospel, Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.” In the second reading, St Peter said, “You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leads us to the green pastures of life. As the Responsorial Psalm says, “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. If I should walk in the valley of darkness no evil would I fear. You are there with your crook and your staff; with these you give me comfort.”
Why is Jesus our Good Shepherd? It is because He lays down His life for His sheep. He shows us the way to have true love for others. St Peter wrote, “Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge.” Jesus did not retaliate against His enemies but humbly took upon Himself “our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed.” He is truly the Good Shepherd because “He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth.” Yet, He was put to death unjustly. But this is in order that upon seeing the innocent death of a just man and the love of God in Him, our conscience may be pricked and we will be called to repentance. The Good Shepherd gives us life by calling us to repentance from our sins.
As recipients of His mercy, we are called to bring others to Jesus, the gate to fullness of life. Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way, is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in.” When Thomas asked, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (Jn 14:5-7) To arrive at the Father and His kingdom, we must go through the Gate – Jesus Himself. He is both the Shepherd and the Gate. This is what the Lord said, “All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
For this reason, it is our duty to proclaim Christ as the Good Shepherd to all who are seeking fullness of life. Jesus is the answer to all the mysteries and riddles of life. The Second Vatican Council teaches, “The Church firmly believes that Christ, who died and was raised up for all, can through His Spirit offer man the light and the strength to measure up to his supreme destiny. Nor has any other name under the heaven been given to man by which it is fitting for him to be saved. She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history.” (Gaudium et spes, 10)
That was what Peter and the apostles did when they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. “On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd with a loud voice: The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” They also said, “every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.” St Luke noted, “He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments and accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.”
How we have been leading others to Jesus the Good Shepherd. When we see where we are as Church, we are filled with gratitude for the vision and missionary zeal of our forefathers. The Church in Singapore has grown from strength to strength since the foundation of the first Church in Singapore — the Church of the Good Shepherd, which is now our Cathedral. Over the years, the Cathedral has given birth to many new offspring — there are now more than 32 churches in Singapore with an estimated 400,000 Catholics. This is due to the foundation laid down by the missionary work of our forefathers, the priests from France and the religious congregations that started their communities here, particularly those forming the faith of young people in our Catholic schools.
It is therefore incumbent on us, beneficiaries of the faith of our forefathers, to continue the work of evangelisation and the sharing of the Good News with those who do not yet know Christ, so they too, could be cut to the heart when they hear the Gospel proclaimed and, with the people during Peter’s time, say, “What must we do, brothers?” We cannot take our faith and our parish for granted. We must keep alive the faith that we have inherited. Like good sheep, we must hear His voice calling us to serve Him in the ministry or in priestly and religious life. As the Lord said, “the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.” We who hear His voice therefore must follow Him as our gate and Shepherd.
But it is difficult to hear His voice today because there are so many voices around us that we find it difficult to distinguish the voice of God — the silent voice that speaks gently to our conscience, appealing us to do good and avoid evil. God’s voice proposes and invites but never forces us. Whereas the voice of the Evil One and that of the world seduces us to passing emotions, pleasures, and illusions of happiness and security. Indeed, the enemy prefers falsehood and darkness to truth and love. We must distinguish between the brigands and thieves who lead us to destruction, and the true shepherds of Christ who lead us to the fullness of life in Him. This is why we must be instructed in the faith and grow in knowledge and in personal relationship with the Lord. Otherwise, how will we be able to convince the people of this generation to accept Christ as their saviour, when they think they are omnipotent and all-knowing.
The church is called to be gatekeepers of the faith of Christ and pass on the faith to the community. Bishops and priests, in a special way, are called to open the way for people to come to know Christ and experience His personal love through the channels of grace in the sacraments, especially in the Eucharist. Today, when we celebrate Vocation Sunday, we also give thanks to God for the abundant vocations in our archdiocese. And what could be a true indication of a lively and vibrant faith-filled archdiocese if not for the number of priestly and religious vocations? It is a real sign that the parish and the church in Singapore is growing in faith when some young people are inspired to serve Christ and His Church.
We must continue to promote priestly and religious vocations — not just through exhibitions but, more importantly, by focusing on our young people. We must help them encounter Jesus in prayer, worship, faith-sharing groups, fellowship, and mission. The future of the Church depends on our young people. If we lead them to a personal experience of our Lord present in worship, in their faith communities, and in their daily lives, they will surely answer God’s call to serve as full-time workers, priests, or religious. Ultimately, we need faith-filled families where parents model exemplary faith, so that their children will be inspired to know and serve the Lord. Parents must lead their children to the Gate so that the Church can lead them to Jesus, the Good Shepherd.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
