Fourth Sunday of Easter

Lectionary: 49

Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate
but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.
But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.

In today’s gospel Jesus speaks of himself as the shepherd and the gate. He uses the symbol of gate in two different ways. In the section above, the gate is the cross: whoever does not enter the Church through the cross is a thief and robber; whoever enters through the cross is the shepherd.

Several years ago I heard a priest speaking to priests about our promises and vows of obedience. (The diocesan priest promises obedience to his bishop; the religious takes vows. There is a juridical difference but no practical one.) He reminded us of the awesome power we hold, to consecrate bread and wine and “confect” the Blessed Sacrament.

Every priest has the lifelong authority to celebrate the mass. If, for whatever reason, he decides to leave obedience he will almost certainly find some Catholics who follow him. Perhaps they are attracted by his personality; perhaps they are estranged from their own parishes and dioceses; perhaps they see an opportunity to strike out on their own, perhaps they see financial opportunity. There are as many reasons to leave the Church as there are disaffected Catholics. We can suppose they and generations of their children will be far removed from the Church because of one man's rebellion. 

The priest who spoke to us that day told of his own kicking against the goad. He had made a very difficult financial decision as the principal of a struggling Catholic high school. When some parents protested his bishop removed him from the school and exiled him to a distant, rural parish of the diocese.  

A young man at the time, he did what anyone would do: he considered his options. Fortunately for us, he chose to remain in the calling God had given him. That was the moment when he truly entered the sheepfold through the gate.

The story is not uncommon. Who has not faced that hard choice in his and her vocation as a minister, teacher, spouse, parent or layperson?

Baby Boomers were trained as consumers; we had money and could spend it. The nation needed us to spend our parents' hard earned cash. Walt Disney was among the first to exploit the opportunity. Consumers expect to be pleased; we don't know why we should put up with disappointment. Chafing under discipline, the vast majority of my classmates left the seminary. 

For many years American Catholic parishes had relied on European missionaries. Many of them were promised hardship and sacrifice when they came to this largely Protestant country. There was a bright and shining moment when Catholics supplied our own leadership in parishes, schools and hospitals; we sent priests, brothers and sisters to Africa, South America and Asia. We now depend upon Asian and African missionaries. 

In today’s gospel Jesus names himself as the gate; he is the cross we must embrace and carry. The world entices us with many nice things; Jesus promises sacrifice and hardship. 

I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved,
and will come in and go out and find pasture.