Weekly Readings

Editor’s Note: Fr. Peter shares insights from a variety of voices on the Sunday readings.

Open Door

It is “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and the gospel quotes Jesus: “I am the gate for the sheep.” It seems the oddest of Jesus’ “I am” identities, until you realize that the shepherd himself was often the literal gate of the sheep’s pen, as he would lay his own body across the entrance to keep the sheep secure and safe from any predators. Actually, the predators that worry Jesus the most are other shepherds —“strangers” who came before him, all of whom Jesus flatly denounces as “thieves and robbers.”

Does that scare us today? Are we vulnerable to attacks, even from those supposedly in charge of our care? When Jesus opens the gate, we go in and out through him, through Jesus, to find pasture. We follow him because we recognize “his voice.” In the synodal Church that Pope Francis called us to, and to which we continue to be called by Pope Leo XIV, every voice is welcome and needed so that the Holy Spirit will fill the whole Church with truth.

Here in Honduras, where I live, folks with little education can offer profound witness to the love of God. It comes from their own intimacy with Jesus, recognizing his voice in their daily life. They are often the poor victims of widespread corruption, like “a thief [who] comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy.” Here in Honduras, we take refuge in Jesus, that we “might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

~ Miguel Dulick

Reflect

Where does my family and parish need improvement to form a genuinely faithful Emmaus community?

Authors

MIGUEL DULICK: Michael Dulick earned post-graduate degrees in English, Spanish, and Philosophy, as well as a Master of Divinity. During his studies, he discovered Honduras, where he has lived since 2003 as “Hermano Miguel,” to live and pray with the poor in the village of Las Vegas. His donation-supported work is to keep families together rather than risking their lives to migrate to the United States. In 2007, Miguel adopted Anselmo, a 13-year-old orphan, so he could sign the forms that allowed Anselmo to receive life-saving open-heart surgery. And now he is Abuelo Miguel with a granddaughter, three-year-old Alicia!

ANN M. GARRIDO: Ann Garrido is the oldest of eight siblings in a large Catholic family from St. Louis, Missouri.  Her childhood dream of sharing the faith as a teacher and preacher has taken her to all 50 states and 20 countries. Ann is Associate Professor of Homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology and a longtime formation leader in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd movement. She currently lives in Georgia with Mike, her husband of more than thirty years. For more on Ann and her writing, see anngarrido.com.

 
FR. BYRON MILLER, CSsR: Fr. Byron Miller, CSsR, was director of the National Shrine of Blessed Francis Xavier Seelos in New Orleans from 2000 to 2015, before serving as president and publisher of Liguori Publications until 2023. In 2021, he authored Daybreaks: Daily Reflections for Lent and Easter for pilgrims on the perennial Lenten journey to Easter.

 
FR. THOMAS M. SANTA, CSsR: Fr. Thomas M. Santa, CSsR, a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, was professed as a Redemptorist in 1973 and ordained a priest in June of 1978. He is a graduate of Holy Redeemer College (Waterford, Wisconsin) and the State University of New York (Mount Saint Alphonsus). His work has included teaching theology, directing retreats, Scrupulous Anonymous ministry, and he is the author of numerous books and articles. Fr. Santa is currently serving his second assignment as the President/Publisher of Liguori Publications.