AMEN, AMEN, I SAY TO YOU...!

Deacon Kyle Simon

Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. (Jn. 10:1-10).

I am the gate. I am the gate for the sheep. When Jesus says, “I am,” He invokes the same name that God the Father used when he spoke to Moses on Mt. Horeb, where God revealed himself as the one and only true God. While Moses was taking care of the sheep and goats, God directed him to lead his people out to Egypt. But Moses replied, “When I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ So, what can I tell them?” God said, “I am who I am. You must tell them: The one who is called I Am has sent me to you" (Exodus 3:13-14).

On this Good Shephard Sunday, Jesus uses this parable to reveal himself using the same words, “I am.” Jesus is our God. Jesus is our one and only gateway to salvation, who guides, protects and nourishes us along the pathway to salvation. And he also reminds us that all others, those who prescribed a different pathway to eternity, are thieves and robbers who are looking to steal us away.

Jesus is the only one who enters the sheepfold through his death and resurrection and thus shows us his sacrificial love. There is none other than Jesus, who through his words and deeds commands our following. In the First Reading, Peter declared that “God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

During this Easter season, we must continue to listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd. Our Shepherd calls those who are both near and far to follow him. Jesus is the one and the only one, the Christ, the Lord, the new Moses, who was sent by his Father, and who was able to lead and guide us to salvation. We are called to trust in his voice and trust that where he leads us, he will give us everything that we need. And not only will he give us everything we need, but he will also give us an abundant life. Our abundant life with Christ begins with our baptism, which refreshes our souls. We are nourished at the table of the Eucharist with food for the journey. And the goodness and kindness of the Holy Spirit follow us each day of our lives when we listen to the call of our Good Shepherd, Christ, and Lord. Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep.

Author: Deacon Kyle Simon, Church: St. Joseph Largo Catholic Church, Largo, MD.

Contact: ksimon@stjosephlargo.org