Traditionally, the fourth Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus presents himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. It is the weekend when the Church prays in a special way for vocations to the priesthood and religious life. In some dioceses this day is chosen for the priesthood ordinations. This year sixteen new presbyters will be ordained in the Archdiocese of Washington. However, the need is great for the new workers in the vineyard of the Lord. In today’s gospel Jesus provides some characteristics of the good shepherd. First of all, the sheep belong to him, that is why he takes care of them, he feeds them, protects them and guides them to good pastures. His concern for the wellbeing of sheep extends to the point that even he lays down his own life for them, something that the hired shepherds are unable to do since they look only for their own benefit. Second, the shepherd knows his sheep. However, this knowledge is not an ordinary knowledge familiar to us from the human relationships. His knowledge of the sheep Jesus compares to his knowledge of the Father—a deep spiritual communion of love. Third, the sheep hear and follow the voice of the shepherd. They do so, because they trust him, knowing that they would be disappointed. And finally, Jesus speaks of other sheep that he must bring to his sheepfold, so that there will be one flock and one shepherd. Jesus is concerned not only for his own sheep but also for those, who do not know him. He wants to bring those sheep to his flock so that they may also share in the prosperity of his sheepfold. The image of sheep and shepherd was very familiar to the contemporaries of Jesus. They knew well that a sheep is a docile and meek creature, but not very smart. It needs someone to guide her and lead, otherwise it easily gets lost. The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd is that of total dependence. Once a sheep is lost, it is unable to come back on its own, and that’s why it can perish easily. Each of us has someone we follow, a leader whom we trust that he will guide us in a right path. But there is only one Good Shepherd who can lead us in the path of eternal life, in the path of salvation. Only Jesus knows the way to heaven. In our busy and noisy world, we often get lost, we cannot hear the voice of the Good Shepherd. The fourth Sunday of Easter comes to remind us that the Good Shepherd comes to look for each one of us. He reaches out to bring us back to his safe sheepfold so that we may come to know his goodness. He invites us to welcome his love first in our lives, so that we may then bring others to him as well.