Jesus is the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Bishop Jonathan once shared a simple but striking story. He said that during a visit to England, he met a shepherd with his flock. He watched in amazement how the sheep listened to the shepherd’s voice and followed him with trust. Curious, he tried to imitate the shepherd. When the shepherd stepped away, Bishop Jonathan called the sheep, but they refused to come. Later, when the shepherd returned, he called them, and immediately they responded. Bishop Jonathan called again in the shepherd’s presence, and this time the sheep came, not because of him, but because the shepherd was there. He even carried one of the sheep on his shoulders. Then, when he got back home, he tried to carry a cat the same way… and that did not end well. That story captures the heart of today’s Gospel from John. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Sheep recognize the voice of their shepherd. They do not follow strangers. A cat, on the other hand, follows no one, it lives on its own terms. The question for us today is simple: are we sheep who listen and follow, or are we like cats, independent, resistant, and self-directed? In the first reading from Acts of the Apostles, Peter stands up and proclaims boldly: “God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ.” The people are cut to the heart and ask, “What are we to do?” That question is the cry of sheep who have finally heard the true Shepherd’s voice. And Peter answers: “Repent and be baptized.” Three thousand people responded. They recognize the voice of Christ through Peter, and they followed. Psalm 23, gives us the image we all cherish: “The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.” This is a relationship. The shepherd leads, protects, feeds, and stays close even in the dark valley. In the second reading from First Epistle of Peter, we are reminded that we can go astray but must return to “the shepherd and guardian of our souls.” Christ is not just a guide; He is the one who laid down His life for the sheep. He suffered without retaliation, showing us the path of trust, obedience, and love. To follow this Shepherd is to walk even through suffering with confidence that we are not alone. So today, Jesus reveals Himself not only as the Shepherd but also as the gate. He is the way in, the way out, and the way through. Any voice that leads us away from truth, from love, from humility, Jesus calls that the voice of a thief. Only His voice leads to life, and not just any life, but life in abundance. Let us not be like the cat, resisting, suspicious, and self-reliant. Let us be like the sheep who recognizes, trusts, and follows. Because only when we stay close to the Shepherd can we be carried, healed, and led to life.