This Fourth Sunday of Easter we meet Christ, the Good Shepherd. The comparison of the Lord to a good shepherd comforts and encourages us. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, will never abandon his sheep.
The Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist make up what we know as the Holy Mass. At every Mass Jesus draws us into His work of salvation here and now. It is the best way to participate in what we call the Paschal Mystery. In the Gospel account from Luke 24 we learn these truths in a charming way.
It was appropriate that Saint John Paul II was beatified on Divine Mercy Sunday. During his pontificate, he canonized Sister Faustina, who promoted the Lord’s Divine Mercy. He began the custom of referring to this Sunday as Divine Mercy Sunday.
“For He has risen, as He said” we hear in the Gospel of the Easter Vigil. The Lord Jesus has fulfilled His promise. We have nothing to fear because of His definitive victory over the death of sin and the death of the body. Through His passion and death on the cross and His glorious Resurrection the Gates of Heaven are now open to all those of good will, who by faith and by grace follow in His footsteps. In union with Christians throughout the world we are filled with joy. We shout out for all to hear: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
With Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday) we solemnly begin the celebration of the core events of our faith. Jesus entered Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise. In fervent prayer we follow the Lord as we hope to enter more fully into His Suffering, His Death, and His Resurrection.