The Fourth Sunday of Easter (Cycle A)

The tie in between today’s readings: The Way of the Shepherd

Psalm 23:1-6, Acts 2:36-41, 1 Peter 2:20-25, John 10:1-10

I asked a pastor acquaintance of mine one day tell me what his job was like. “Basically,” he joked, “I hatch (baptize), match (wedding), and dispatch (funerals), and throw in a little golf on the side.” Of course, the job of the clergy is much more difficult than my friend lets on. There are meetings to run, bills to pay, tears to dry, wrongs to right, sick to see…and all before lunch. The job is so tough, so special, so unique, that when a person enters the ministry, we say that they have a calling. When you answer that call, it is life’s most important and rewarding pursuit. Not everyone in religious work has that calling, though. Today’s gospel, John…