Our Holy Father John Chrysostom (the Golden-Mouthed), Archbishop of Constantinople (407).
Polyeleos Feast.
Hebrews 7:26-8:2; John 10:9-16.
Read John 10:9-16
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
It’s no surprise to us that Our Lord uses shepherds as an image of His Lordship and His responsibility for the safety and protection of His people. Two shining examples of “good shepherds” come to us in the persons of Joshua and David from the Old Testament. Christ Himself shows Himself to have the sheeps’ ultimate good in mind through His life and sacrificial death.
Our passage begins with an interesting phrase however: “I am the door.” In antiquity, a shepherd would sleep across the entrance to a fenced sheep pasture. If a sheep attempted to escape, or a predator enter, the shepherd would be awakened. Our Lord is continually with us, keeping us safe and secure if we will turn to Him, and more importantly, heed His voice. This incredible love and care has become the image of all priests who serve though Christ’s example through the Holy Spirit.
Today we celebrate an incredible pastor indeed, St. John Chrysostom, who relates this passage to the Apostles who came before him: “Here it is as though Jesus had said: They shall be safe and secure, that is, they shall remain within and no one shall throw them out. This is in reference to the apostles who went in and out boldly as though they had become masters of all the world. None could turn them out of their kingdom. But by ‘pasture,’ Jesus means his own nurturing and feeding of the sheep as well as his power and lordship.” – Homilies on the Gospel of John, 59.3.
Bible References