By now, we’re all kind of used to the ‘Easter’ thing. The candy is gone out of the stores, no more Easter bunnies running around, the hard-boiled eggs have gone bad, the Easter lilies are dying. But, we’re still celebrating Easter in Church! The flowers have been renewed, the Alleluias still sound strong, the Easter Baptismal water still flows! We still have another 4 weeks of celebrating until we return to Ordinary time, with a couple other liturgical feasts thrown in. This long period of celebration shows to us the importance of what this entire Easter feast means to us. Without Easter, and the upcoming Feast of Pentecost, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Christ would have just been a baby born in a manger in Bethlehem. Only through His ministry, Passion, Death and Resurrection, and sending of the Holy Spirit, are we in this Church right now. Alleluia! He is Risen!
The 4th Sunday of Easter is often referred to as ‘Good Shepherd’ Sunday as we always have a Gospel reading referencing the ‘good shepherd’. ‘My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’ Our music leads us to these teachings, albeit in perhaps a much less direct way than other weekends. “I Am the Light of the World” speaks of us following Jesus to have the light of life. If we are following our shepherd, He will know us and call out to us. He will lay down His life for us. “Come, Follow Me” once again refers to us following Him – He will give us strength, He will cast away our doubts and fears, and He will lead us home – just as a good shepherd does with his sheep. He leads us to safety. He continually calls out to us, hoping that we are following His voice. Once again, we begin and end our liturgies with strong Easter hymns proclaiming His Resurrection! Let us sing out: Alleluia! He is Risen!