Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the  Gospel for Sunday, April 26, 2026,  entitled, “I am the gate for the sheep”

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The fourth Sunday of Easter is that of the Good Shepherd:  Jesus Christ is the  Good Shepherd  who cares for  his  sheep, who gives his life for them, who knows them and is known by them.

This comparison helps us understand in a simple yet profound way what kind of  relationship  Jesus Christ wants to have  with you .

Faith is not a theory, nor an ideology: it is a  life , a life of friendship,  of communion with the Lord . Benedict XVI says that  one begins to be Christian through an encounter with an event, with a Person, that gives a new horizon to life  (cf.  DCE  1).

When one truly embraces the Gospel,  when one encounters Jesus Christ, one’s life changes.  Not through one’s own efforts, but  through the action of the Holy Spirit  in the human heart.

Because Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd . He is the teacher and the Lord. He is  the  way,  the  truth, and  the  life.

Jesus Christ is the cornerstone;  no one else can save:  I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture . Do not seek life in idols, for you will not find it there.

We are the  sheep . That is to say, we must  follow the Shepherd , we must  listen to his voice , with meekness, with docility, with trust, obeying the Shepherd. Without listening to the voice of  strangers …

How is your relationship with Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd? Do you listen to his voice?  Are you docile to his word, to his teaching? Do you pay more attention to the voice of  strangers  than to the voice of Jesus Christ?

We must have an attitude of  meekness ,  letting ourselves be led by the Good Shepherd , even if we do not understand him at times, but always trusting in the one we know loves us more than anyone and wants happiness and eternal life for us.

 Today’s Word shows us  two signs  of  this acceptance of Jesus Christ : conversion   and  witness .

In the first reading we see how  those who welcome Peter’s preaching immediately ask: What must we  do ?

And he answers them:  Repent and be baptized… and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit .

Man, recreated by the word and by the Spirit, is now a new creature , who does not live for sin, does not follow his passions, nor the criteria of the world, but  obeys the Word of the Lord , who has eternal life:  he lives under the guidance of the Holy Spirit .

Furthermore,  Jesus Christ has entrusted the Church with the mission of  shepherding  the flock of God’s People .

It is  the Pope , and  the Bishops  in communion with him, who have to shepherd the flock.  Priests also share in this mission  insofar as they are collaborators of the Bishops and receive from them the pastoral mission, and so do the  laity  insofar as they receive from the Church the mission to participate in the pastoral task (cf.  Catechism , 910ff).

Therefore,  we must ask ourselves if we are listening to the voice of the Church , if we are in communion with it, if we are docile to its teaching.

We must also  ask the Lord to  give us shepherds after his own heart , to raise up among us courageous young people, capable of accepting the challenge of giving themselves totally to Jesus Christ in the mission of caring for and guiding the flock.

We must also ask ourselves today  how  we, those of us who have some responsibility for others—priests, parents, godparents, teachers, catechists, educators— are living out our   pastoral mission .

Come, Holy Spirit!