4th Week of Easter – Monday C

Published on 11 May 2025 at 13:07

As we journey through the Easter Season, we are called to reflect deeply on the words of our Lord Jesus: “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly”(John 10:10). These words are at the heart of our faith and speak to the very purpose of Jesus' mission among us—to give us a fullness of life that surpasses mere existence, a life overflowing with grace, joy, and divine love.

In the Gospel, Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who leads His sheep through the gate—a metaphor for Himself—into a pasture of safety and nourishment. The “life in abundance” that Jesus offers is not just about material prosperity or worldly success; it is about a profound spiritual fullness—peace, joy, hope, and the intimate relationship with God that satisfies the deepest longing of our hearts.

In the first readings from Acts, we see how the Holy Spirit is poured out even on the Gentiles, revealing that God's gift of life in abundance is universal. The Spirit’s descent on Cornelius and his household signifies that the fullness of life Jesus offers is not limited by race, nationality, or status. It is a gift freely given by God to all who are willing and happy to live in Jesus Christ and allow his spirit and his will, God’s will, to permeate their entire journey.

During these weeks, we are still celebrating the Resurrection—Christ’s victory over death—and awaiting the glorious feasts of the Ascension and Pentecost. The readings remind us that the fullness of life Jesus promises is made possible through the Holy Spirit, who is the gift of the risen Lord. Just as the Holy Spirit descends upon the Gentiles in Acts, we too are called to receive and be renewed by this life-giving Spirit, which enables us to live as children of God.

In the Gospel (John 10), Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd and the Gate—through Him, we find true life and protection. As the one and only Good Shepherd, he gives us many other shepherds to guide and protect us. The universal shepherd that he gave us on Thursday evening, Pope Leo XIV, is a great gift to us from the one who has eternally watched over his flock and shares his very life with it. In his first Regina Coeli, from Saint Peter’s Basilica, he announced that Christ is

the Good Shepherd, and it is he who guides and directs the Church. Jesus himself leads us to green pastures, to abundance, where our needs are met and our souls are nourished. The “more abundant life” Jesus promises involves following His voice, trusting in His guidance, and entering through Him—the source of life itself.

 As we await Pentecost, we are called to open our hearts anew to the Holy Spirit, who was poured out upon the apostles and all believers. The Spirit is the giver of life in abundance—filling us with love, courage, and the power to be witnesses to the Gospel. Just as Peter and the early Christians recognized that God's gift of salvation was for everyone, so too, Peter’s successor and all the Catholic faithful he shepherds, are invited to share this abundant life with others, breaking down barriers and reaching out with compassion and mercy, always bringing the Lord’s peace, goodness and truth to the world at large.

In conclusion, brothers and sisters, the “life in abundance” that Jesus offers is a gift of divine life that transforms us from within. It sustains us through every trial, fills us with hope, and compels us to share His love with the world. May the Lord, our Good Shepherd, continue to be for us the truth, the way and the life, and may he bless you all on this beautiful day. Amen.


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