April 26, 2026 Fourth Sunday of Easter

Welcome Father Eckhard Today’s Readings: Reading 1 | Reading 2 | Gospel

Jesus says something very clear in today’s Gospel: “I am the gate.” Not one gate among many, but the gate. And that is where we have to begin. In this passage, Jesus gives us two images—the shepherd and the gate. We often focus on the shepherd, the one who cares, protects, and goes after the lost. And that is true. It is comforting and beautiful. But today Jesus insists first that He is the gate. This means that we do not enter the sheepfold however we want. We do not climb over or go around. We enter through Him.

This connects directly with the first reading. Peter stands up and says very clearly, “God has made both Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified.” In other words, the one who was rejected is the one who is the way. This realization hits them. They know this is about them, and they ask, “What are we supposed to do?” Peter gives a simple answer: repent and be baptized. Turn your life around and come through the gate.

This becomes very real for us. It is easy to say that Jesus is the Good Shepherd, but it is harder to ask whether we are actually entering through Him or trying to live life our own way. We do this more than we realize. We try to build our lives on comfort, control, or what seems easier. We want the shepherd—we want peace, protection, and blessings—but not always the gate. Not always obedience. Not always surrender.

And yet Jesus tells us, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” Not just life, but abundant life. But that life comes one way: through Him, through His voice, and through His path. As Saint Peter says in the second reading, “You had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.” We all wander at times. We all drift and try to find another way. But the Good Shepherd does not abandon His sheep. He calls them back, stands at the gate, and opens the way.

So the question for us is very simple. Not complicated, not hard to understand, but very concrete: where in my life am I trying to go around the gate? Where am I choosing my way instead of His? That is the question we cannot avoid today—not just to admire the Good Shepherd, but to follow Him. And if we do, then what He promises is real: a life that does not fall apart, a life that stands firm, a life that endures—not because everything around us is easy, but because we are no longer trying to lead ourselves.

The Good Shepherd is not just calling us to feel safe—He is calling us to come through Him, because only there is life. And we do that by listening to His voice and choosing His way today.

Source: by Fr. Nicholas OBrien; https://catholicsermons.com/2026/04/24/april-26-2026/ Image: Le Bon Pasteur English: The Good Shepherd

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• 3 May - Our monthly Social Gathering comes off May 3rd. Please bring along something to share and consider helping set up or cleaning up. There will be Childrens’ Church as well.