1. Wednesday Gospel Webinar
Portsmouth Diocese – Formation for Mission

2. Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

3. Sunday 7th May 2017 4th Sunday of Easter John 10:1-10
Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’
Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.
So Jesus spoke to them again:

4. Sunday 7th May 2017 4th Sunday of Easter John 10:1-10
‘I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold.
All others who have come
Are thieves and brigands;
but the sheep took no notice of them.
I am the gate.
Anyone who enters through me will be safe:
He will go freely in and out
And be sure of finding pasture.
The thief comes
Only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.

5. Literal meaning Where? John 10 – in Jerusalem
When? after ‘the man born blind’ and before ‘Lazarus’
What? Jesus teaches – ‘The good shepherd discourse’
Who? Jesus, some Pharisees, disciples, man born blind?
How? ‘The Good Shepherd’ discourse
Why? After giving light (John 7,8,9), Jesus gives life (John 10,11)

6. The Gate The Gatekeeper The Shepherd The Sheep The thief and brigand
SHEEPFOLD
The Gate
The Gatekeeper
The Shepherd
The Sheep
The thief and brigand

7. the promised shepherd of Israel
Finding God
Jesus:
the promised shepherd of Israel
Son of David
Son of God
Gate
Shepherd

8. Finding the human person
The sheep:
Hear and listen to the shepherd’s voice: Faith
Follow him: Charity
Find pasture: Grace / the Eucharist

9. Finding the Church ‘Feed my sheep’:
The hierarchical function in the Church: Christ our Shepherd
The Bread of the Word and the Bread of the Eucharist

11. Mary, Virgin and Mother,
you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,
welcomed the word of life
in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,
help us to say our own “yes”
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
Mother of the living Gospel,
wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones,
pray for us.
Amen. Alleluia.

12. Acknowledgments
Mosaics artworks: © Fr Marko Rupnik and Centro Aletti
Scripture: The CTS New Catholic Bible, Copyright © 2007 The Incorporated Catholic Truth Society
Picture of sheepfold: By ThunderChild5 from uk - Sheep Fold, CC BY 2.0,
With gratitude to the Wednesday Word