Acts 4:8-12 / 1 John 3:1-2 / John 10:11-18
Between God and human beings, there is one great and fundamental difference.
Basically and essentially, it is this: God is divine and we are only human.
Reflecting further on this, it is God who created us and the rest of creation. We humans did not create anything at all.
A human being cannot become God. Those who wanted to, or tried to become God, embarked on a quest for immortality, eternal youth, everlasting power, strength and might.
But the history of humanity is splattered with such cases, and they are cases of futility.
That is the truth, and it is an eternal and irrevocable truth.
And we Christians bear witness to that truth by our faith.
As we profess in the Creed, God is the Almighty Creator, and He is also our Father.
And next comes the astounding truth, and that is God became man in Jesus Christ.
That truth is a deep mystery that needs to be reflected and meditated upon, and it can only be done with the enlightening love from God.
Jesus Christ is our Lord and God, He is our Saviour, and in today's gospel, He tells us that He is our Good Shepherd.
That image of the Good Shepherd and the sheep will certainly help us to understand the loving relationship between Jesus and us.
A Good Shepherd protects and takes care of His sheep.
He will even lay down His life for His sheep when there is harm and danger.
That is how much God loves us, even to the extent of dying for us in order to save us.
And Jesus calls us to be His sheep and to follow Him.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who calls us to be His good sheep.
And a good sheep listens to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
This Sunday is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, and the emphasis is on vocations to the priesthood, as well as to the religious life.
A good sheep listens to the voice of the Good Shepherd.
And a good sheep may also listen to a deeper call in the voice of the Good Shepherd.
Jesus will not leave His Church without priests, priests who will listen to His voice.
Because Jesus calls priests to lead the People of God in worship and prayer, and preach the Word of life and love.
Priests are called by Jesus to celebrate the Eucharist, and to offer the sacrifice in memory of Him.
The voice of the Good Shepherd is echoed in the voice of the priest, so that the People of God, the flock that belongs to the Good Shepherd, will walk in the way of salvation.
So, Jesus has called those He has chosen to be His priests, and also those to the religious life.
Jesus calls and He waits for their response.
As for us, the People of God, let us also echo the call of a Good Shepherd to those He is calling.
But whether the call is to be a priest, or a religious, the call is always to be a good sheep.
And whether it is a priest, or a religious, or a sheep that belongs to the flock of Jesus, we are called to be like the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd laid down His life for us.
Let us also lay down our lives to love and to serve others, and to help them listen to the voice of Jesus our Good Shepherd.