One Flock

The passage from the Gospel of John in the Roman Catholic Lectionary today immediately follows John 10:10 which is the declaration by Jesus of His mission to bring us life to the full. The next few verses declare three aspects of this mission. The decision of Jesus is taken as His choice and is within His power as Divine Son. The depth of the commitment to Love all is expressed in the declaration that he lays down His life for His sheep. This depth of love is known to many humans who have given the sacrifice their lives for others. We may even have a sense of those for whom there would be no doubt in our minds that this was possible. Perhaps people on this list are in our family and our circle of very close friends. The Word is offered to all people. Jesus desires that there be One Shepherd and One Flock. Jesus Love, giving all, is for all. Maryanne Rouse considers the tension between the insider and the outsider who the passage from the Acts of the Apostles today indicates is called to join the community of those following Jesus. Peter explains to the Jewish Christians that he has been instructed to welcome Gentiles to baptism without requiring them to become converts to Jewish customs. As we move toward becoming One Flock we can hear her reminder that too often it is our temptation to judge others as too new, too old, too liberal or too conservative to fit comfortably within the boundaries that I have drawn for my group. Our role is to bring Jesus to others. The Good Shepherd is the gate and our role is not as gatekeeper.