4th Sunday of Easter Gospel reflection

Gospel Reflection, 4th Sunday of Easter.

John 1:1-10

I’ve been inspired by doing Gospel reflections at CCE for my 4th-grade class to start writing weekly reflections on the Sunday Mass Readings throughout the year. My hope is that God will work through someone like me to lead you to a deeper faith in Christ and an appreciation for the Sacred Scriptures. I am a lay Catholic without a formal degree who loves to study Theology, Apologetics, Scripture, and early Church history. Teaching about our Faith is a passion of mine and I pray more lay faithful will do the same in the future and not be held back by the fear of qualifications. The scriptures are filled with unqualified people that God used to bring souls to Christ!

Reflection on John 10:1-10.

Jesus is doubling down on the importance of what He is about to say when he says “Amen, amen I say to you” before speaking. Jesus here is telling the Pharisees, which we can honestly put ourselves in their shoes for many of us are no different (myself included), that He is the true Messiah. Before the ministry of our Lord there had been many false Messiah’s that lead people to death, think of Judas the Galilean (6 A.D.). Jesus is pointing out that only He is the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) just as many false prophets came before their will be many antichrists after. No one may enter the gate except for Jesus, for through His life, death, resurrection, and ascension he opened the gates of Heaven for His sheep. Ask yourself if you truly hear the Shepherd’s voice, if so your life should be radically changed from that moment on. To truly hear the Gospel means to truly turn from sin and run into the Father’s arms (Luke 15:11-32). Some ways to recognize Jesus’s voice are to stay in Sacred Scripture daily especially the 4 Gospels and listen to Holy Mother Church for the keys to the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:13-19), (Isaiah 22:15-25) have been passed down through Apostolic succession (Acts 1), (2 Tim 5:16) from St. Peter to currently Pope Leo XIV. Let us without ceasing pray for Priests that they may truly be recognizable to their flocks and lead them to the gate which is Jesus Christ.

“Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”

We enter into Christ’s body at the moment of our Baptisms, and we become adopted sons of the Father through His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. We are buried with Christ in His death and rise with Christ in His resurrection. At our Baptism we become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). Jesus also tells us at the end of Mark’s Gospel that we must be Baptized to be saved “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. (Mark 16:16)” we can see in this verse in Mark that Jesus doesn’t mention Baptism twice cause Baptism is necessary for salvation outside of those extraordinary cases (thief on the cross). By Baptism, we enter into the life of the Most Holy Trinity, filled with Grace (God’s divine life in us) and begin the Sacramental life. The seven Sacraments were instituted by Christ Himself for us so that we may enter through Him into the beholding of the Father face to face after our short time on this earth.

We can have an assurance of Hope in fighting against evil when we follow the Good Shepherd who laid His life down for all of us so that we may have true life and an abundance of it! When we receive His most precious body, blood, soul, and divinity in the Eucharist we are partaking in the one Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, making it present today for all. This Blessed Sacrament truly gives life, for Christ gave Himself fully so we may eat His flesh and drink His blood and receive eternal life!

“So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;  he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.  For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him.” - John 6:53-56

God bless you,

Chance Matcheski