Education in Faith

Fourth Sunday in Easter - Year A

Gospel Reflection

The fourth Sunday of Easter is sometimes also known as Good Shepherd Sunday. In the three different cycles of the liturgical year, the gospel on this Sunday comes from John, chapter 10 – an extended discourse by Jesus on the image of himself as the good shepherd. This year the reading is the beginning of the chapter and stops just immediately before the words, ‘I am the good shepherd’.

In Jesus’ time, shepherds were generally regarded as being little better than criminals, they often put their lives in danger to tend to their flocks. 

Of a night time, several flocks of sheep would be penned in a communal sheepfold, usually made of stone walls. There was only one entrance to the sheepfold and one of the shepherds would effectively become the gate by sleeping across the entranceway. This was to keep the sheep in but also to guard against thieves. Thieves might climb over the wall into the sheepfold but the sheep were trained to respond to their shepherd’s voice alone so thieves could only steal what sheep they could carry off or those that were not sufficiently trained to their shepherd’s commands.

When Jesus described himself as the gate of the sheepfold, his audience would have immediately understood the analogy. For a shepherd to become the gate to the sheepfold of a night was to risk his life for not only his own sheep but all the sheep in the fold overnight. It took courage and demonstrated utter commitment.

A line of shepherds

When Jesus used the image of himself as a shepherd, he named himself as belonging to a Jewish family that associated itself with shepherds. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Moses were all shepherds. David, the second King of Israel, was regarded as the greatest king in Jewish history. His humble beginning, captured magnificently in the sculpture by Michelangelo, was as a shepherd boy guarding his flock with a slingshot. The kings of Israel were charged to ‘shepherd’ their people rather than to lord it over them as the pagan kings did.

The responsorial psalm this week uses Psalm 22 (sometimes referenced as Psalm 23), ‘the Lord is my shepherd’- is a very popular psalm and image at the time of Jesus. For Jesus to describe himself as the good shepherd caused great distress among the Jewish leaders. They saw Jesus as being blasphemous for the psalm makes clear that the Lord is the shepherd. Jesus quite deliberately makes clear that he and the Father are one: The Lord is the shepherd and Jesus is the good shepherd.

Gospel Focus – Life to the Full

John 10:10 is a very famous quote from this gospel passage. Having life to the full does not imply life filled with every convenience, comfort and wealth. Rather, it is about living a life filled with purpose and intent. If we fail to live with purpose and meaning then our life is a hollow shell of what it could be. Jesus came that we may have life – a life that is at its fullest when it is lived in such a way as to be an expression of what Jesus taught and lived. Jesus says that he will always care for us.

Let us pray that we may know and love Jesus more closely.

Discussion Starters

• Whose voice do you know without being told who it is?
• How can you tell?
• Jesus speaks to us in many ways.
• How can we tell the voice of Jesus?
• Why do images of the sheep and the shepherd seem to have so much appeal today?
• To whom might Jesus have been referring when describing the ‘others’ as thieves and brigands?
• In what way does Jesus act as a gate?
• What do you think it means to live life to the full?
• Why might Jesus have used these images of himself as the gate and as the shepherd?
• Why might the Jews have been attracted to an image of God as shepherd?
• How can the concept of ‘life to the full’ be misunderstood or misused?
• In what ways is the invitation to have life to the full also a challenge?

Sacramental News and Dates

Sacrament Levy

There is a $25 Sacrament Levy to cover the cost for:

•  a guest speaker to conduct a Parent and Child Workshop for each Sacrament.
• professionally made stoles for ALL 3 Sacraments. 
• a candle for children receiving reconciliation.
• children receiving First Eucharist and Confirmation to travel to St. Kevin’s Church for Reconciliation, Eucharist practice by bus.

This levy needs to be paid in full to the school in an envelope clearly indicating your child’s name, Home Group and name of Sacrament being received at the start of the year, before or on the day of your Family Workshop Session.

God Bless

Rozeta Ambrose

rambrose@sfslynbrook.catholic.edu.au

GRADE 5/6 SOCIAL JUSTICE TEAM – MINI VINNIES

COMMUNITY SPIRIT AWARD

Welcome back to Term 2! 

Today all Mini Vinnies met and we discussed our focus for the term which will be our Winter Appeal, where we collect food and toiletry items to give to the Hampton Park St Vincent de Paul Conference to distribute to the people in need withiin our community. This will be our focus as we lead up to the Feast of the Sacred Heart on Friday 16th June. Once again students will be able to earn points for their houses through helping others and demonstraitng community spirit.

Today Mini Vinnies handed out the House Point sheets for Term 2. Students can earn house points by demonstrating community spirit which includes our PBL values, especially this week’s focus: Responsibility – think before you act.

Well done to the choir members who gave up their time during the holidays and attended Imasha’s wedding! They were given House points for demonstrating community spirit. The total points so far for each House:

Well done Patrick!! 

But it’s only early days, so come on MacKillop, Bosco and Teresa! Let’s see if you can catch up next week!

Giuliana