Fourth Sunday of Easter, 2026

Dear brothers and sisters, today, on this Fourth Sunday of Easter, the Church presents us with a very beautiful image of who Jesus is for us: He is the Good Shepherd and the gate to eternal life. This image not only comforts us, but also reminds us that His relationship with us is something very personal. He is a shepherd who does not relate simply to a crowd, but a shepherd who knows each sheep individually.

So, I would like to begin with something simple. Think for a moment: Can you recognize the voice of someone you love? Your mother’s, your father’s, a close friends? The truth is that even without seeing them, you recognize their voice immediately. Now comes the important question for us today: Do we recognize the voice of Jesus in our lives? We hear many voices every day voices from social media, from the news, from opinions and arguments; there is a lot of noise. And not all those voices lead us to the truth. Some confuse us. Others distract us. Some even pull us away from what is good.

That is why today’s Gospel is so important. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” Notice this well: Jesus does not say, “They hear about me.” He says, “They hear my voice.” That means relationship, closeness, and familiarity.

And here is the challenge for us: If we do not spend time with Jesus, how will we recognize His voice? In the first reading, we hear that the people ask Peter a very direct question: “What must we do?” And Peter responds with the same clarity: “Repent and be baptized.” For them, it was the beginning of conversion. For us, who are already baptized, it is a reminder that conversion is not something that happens overnight, but a journey – a daily process that lasts a lifetime. That is why each day we are called to ask ourselves: What can I do today to be a better Christian? A better person? A better disciple of Jesus? And the answer always begins in the same place: to listen. To listen to the Word of God. To listen in prayer. To listen in silence. Because the more we listen, the more we learn to recognize His voice. And when we recognize His voice, we are then called to follow Him.

This is another key point of today’s Gospel. Jesus says that His sheep not only hear Him, but follow Him. Following Jesus is not just believing in Him. It means trusting Him. It means going where He leads us – even when it is difficult and requires sacrifice. Because the Good Shepherd never leads us into danger; He leads us to life without end.

Jesus also warns us that there are other “voices” that do not come from Him. He describes them as thieves who come “to steal and destroy.” And we see that today. There is a lot of confusion in the world, and sometimes even lies present themselves as truth. That is why we need guidance. And we are not alone. God has given us the Church. He has given us the Holy Spirit. And He has given us shepherds – priests and leaders – to guide us and help us discern.

That is why today, Good Shepherd Sunday, is also a day to pray for vocations. We pray for more men and women to respond to God’s call. We pray for our Pope, Leo XIV, our bishops (especially our bishop Alberto Rojas), and our priests – our Deacon Jaime Rosas, our Vicar Rajesh Peter, MSC, and our Pastor Luis Segura, MSC – who lead this parish community. We are not perfect, but even so, we have been called to be instruments of the Good Shepherd. Today is a good day not to criticize our shepherds, but to pray for them, to support them, and to thank them for their service.

Brothers and sisters, do not forget this: Jesus knows you. He calls you by name and cares for you personally. You are not just one among many. You belong to Him; you are His sheep. He is constantly speaking to you – guiding you, calling you, leading you. The question is: are we listening?

Let us ask Him today for that grace: the grace to hear His voice clearly, and the courage to follow Him faithfully. And may Jesus, our Good Shepherd, lead us all to eternal life. Amen

Fr. Luis Segura m.s.c.

4th Sunday of Easter – Cycle A

Good Shepherd Sunday and World Day of Prayer for Vocations

My friends, it's not by accident that the Church calls today "Good Shepherd Sunday" and "World Day of Prayer for Vocations."   

Our gospel today has some great imagery: the sheep, the shepherd, and the sheep gate.

Jesus used this imagery to help his listeners clearly understand his message.   But, for those of us who don’t know a lot about sheep, this imagery doesn’t have much of an impact.  So, a little background:

Sheep are really helpless:

• They're not very smart and are prone to wandering.

• They have bad eyesight and because of this, they often get lost and cannot find their way back to the flock.

• They are very weak.  They're on every predator’s list of easy prey.

• They are totally dependent on their shepherd for their very life.

• They literally need to be led to food and water and shelter.

• They know and trust their shepherd’s voice and will follow it.  BUT if they hear a stranger’s voice, they become afraid and, as it says in our Gospel, the sheep run away and scatter.

The Shepherd's life was hard.  They were on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Their skin was weathered because they lived mostly outdoors with their flock.

Sheep were raised primarily for wool, not food.  They used the wool to make clothing, shelter and rugs.  As such, most of the sheep were with the shepherd for years and were even given names by the shepherd.  The sheep knew and trusted the shepherd’s voice and would come to him when he called them. 

Author H. V. Morton tells of a scene which he saw in a cave near Bethlehem:

• Two shepherds had sheltered their flocks in the cave for the night.  Mr. Morton wondered how the flocks would be sorted out in the morning.

• In the morning, one of the shepherds stood some distance away from the cave and called to his own sheep.  Immediately, his entire flock ran out to him.  The other sheep remained in the cave with their shepherd.

In today's Gospel, the imagery Jesus uses is that of him being both the shepherd and the sheep gate.  What a shepherd would do at night would be to lead his sheep to a cave or a small canyon with one small opening. 

When the sheep were settled down for the night, the shepherd would lay down in the opening and he himself would be the gate:

“I am the sheep gate.  Whoever enters through me will be safe to come in and go out and find pasture.”

My friends, Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd and Sheep Gate is our guardian and protector.  He watches over us, leading us and speaking to us not through imagery but in a real, tangible way.

One of the ways He speaks to us is through the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  His message is timeless, just as meaningful today as it was over 2,000 years ago.

Another way Jesus speaks to us is through people, especially on this Good Shepherd Sunday. We have Pope Leo XIV; our Bishop, Alberto Rojas; our retired bishops, Bishop Emeritus Gerald Barnes, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus Rutilio del Riego as well as our priests.  We also have access to wonderful Catholic websites:

• Vatican website www.vatican.va

• United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) www.usccb.org

• Our Diocese of San Bernardino www.sbdiocese.org

My friends, in our Gospel, we are urged to listen to the voice of the Good Shepherd.  We can hear His voice through people mentioned above as well as the above websites.

Our Gospel also warns us to be aware of “the voice of strangers.”  These “voices” are in various social media platforms, videos, podcasts, and people with “conspiracy theories.”  These “voices” could be false and contrary to our Faith.  If you are unsure, you can verify these “voices” with your priest or the above websites.

Above all, it is important to remember the basic and fundamental teaching of Christ Jesus: 

Love God and Love One Another.  That’s all there is. 

How blessed we are to have Christ the Good Shepherd to guide our path in life !