Homily for the 4th Sunday of Easter

The fall of Adam and Eve came about because of their lack of trust in God. Jesus came to win back that lost trust and to lead us away from our self-centered, fear-filled, sinful lives and back into His flock. By giving up His own life to atone for our sins, He showed that the Father deserves our trust, that He will forgive us, protect us, and lead us to rich pastures.

He is the Good Shepherd, the One we can trust, the One who cares more about our lives than we do ourselves, the One who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for ours.

It's not always easy to trust in God, but it is always possible.

We have been given the gift of faith; we just have to have the courage to use it.

After He had been elected Pope, Pius XI made his way to the study of his predecessor, Pope Benedict XV, who had tried to put an end to World War I. Pope Pius began to feel the crushing burden of his office. He fell to his knees in prayer. When he looked up, he saw on the desk a framed picture of Jesus quieting the storm at sea when He uttered the encouraging words: "Peace, be still." From that time on the new pope kept that picture on his desk to remind him of Christ’s calming presence.

St. Paul of the Cross wrote: "Stop listening to your fears. God is your guide and your Father, Teacher, and Spouse. Abandon yourself into [Him]. Keep up your spiritual exercises and be faithful in prayer." Christ, our Good Shepherd deserves nothing less than that.

All of us trust Jesus but we can learn to trust Him more. And if we trust Him more completely, we will follow Him more closely, and He will fill our lives more fully with strength, grace, and joy. 

There are two easy ways to grow in this life-giving trust. First, through prayer. Every time we turn to God in prayer, either to thank Him for His blessings, to ask Him for help, or simply to praise Him, we put ourselves into contact with His goodness. And that contact strengthens our trust because knowing God better makes it easier to trust Him.

Second, through telling others the Good News of Christ's Gospel.

Just as in today's first reading Peter explained that Jesus is our Savior, our Good Shepherd, so we are called to share with others the treasure of faith we have received.

Each of us knows someone who is facing difficulty in life.

This is the perfect time to reach out to them, to support them, and to let them know that Jesus rose from the dead so that He could be their strength and their guide through life's struggles so that they wouldn't have to struggle alone. When we spread the light of faith to others, our own trust grows, because the light of a thousand candles brightens a room far more than the light of one candle.+