Christian Art | A Boy At Prayer With Jesus The Good Shepherd
Office Of Readings | Eastertide Week 4, Sunday | A Reading From The Homilies Of Pope Saint Gregory The Great On The Gospels | Jesus Christ The Good Shepherd
‘Jesus Christ the good shepherd.’
Jesus Christ The Good Shepherd | A Commentary On Saint Gregory The Great’s Homily
Saint Gregory the Great’s homily on Christ as the Good Shepherd, taken from the Gospel of John, is a deeply pastoral and theological reflection rooted in both personal experience and the challenges of his time. In unpacking this text, Gregory speaks not only as a biblical interpreter but as a pope with a profound concern for the souls of his people — both lay and ordained. His reflections continue to resonate in Christian thought, especially on what has come to be known as ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’.
The Good Shepherd | Knowledge As Love
Gregory begins by reflecting on Christ’s words: ‘I am the good shepherd. I know my own – by which I mean, I love them – and my own know me.’ For Gregory, the verb ‘to know’ does not refer to abstract knowledge or doctrinal familiarity. It signifies love — an active, faithful relationship. Knowing Jesus Christ is not simply believing certain truths about Jesus; it is being bound to Jesus in a way that transforms life and behaviour. Gregory emphasizes that the test of this knowledge is action, echoing the First Letter of John: ‘Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not keep his commandments, is a liar.’
This idea — that knowledge of God is tested by love and obedience — is central to Gregory’s pastoral theology. For both shepherds (pastors) and sheep (the faithful), knowledge of Christ must be revealed in concrete commitment. Gregory, who wrote extensively on the duties of bishops in his Regula Pastoralis (Pastoral Rule), applies this double test equally. The bishop, as shepherd, must lay down his life for the flock not only metaphorically but through tireless service, self-sacrifice, and moral example. The sheep, in turn, must respond in faith and imitation of Christ.
The Cross And Love | Knowing Through Sacrifice
Gregory highlights Christ’s own words: ‘I lay down my life for my sheep.’ This is not merely a statement about Jesus’ death but a definition of divine love. Christ’s death is the fullest revelation of his knowledge of, and union with, the Father. Gregory’s logic is that love reveals knowledge. Christ’s self-gift shows not only his love for humanity but his perfect unity with the Father — since the Father’s will is love and mercy. Therefore, the one who follows Christ must also be shaped by this sacrificial love.
In this, Gregory is pointing to the pastoral and moral demands placed upon Christians. A shepherd who seeks only prestige or comfort, or a Christian who follows Christ only in words but not in action, has not yet ‘known’ the Good Shepherd. True discipleship must be marked by humility, endurance, and the willingness to lose one’s life for others.
From Faith To Vision | The Journey Of The Sheep
Drawing on another passage from John’s Gospel, Gregory turns to the movement of the sheep: ‘If anyone enters the sheepfold through me he shall be saved; he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture.’ Gregory interprets this in spiritual terms: the sheep (the Christian) moves ‘from faith to vision, from belief to contemplation’. The good pastures are not earthly comforts but the ‘spiritual joys of heaven’, the full vision of God’s face.
This is a classic formulation of Christian pilgrimage. Earthly life is the journey through faith, often obscured and marked by struggle. Heaven is the pasture of clarity, where vision replaces belief. This line draws from the Christian tradition of the via — the way of life — culminating in the beatific vision, the ultimate end of humanity.
Gregory’s shepherd imagery here connects deeply with the spiritual hunger of the faithful. The sheep seek green pastures not simply to graze, but to dwell forever in the presence of God. The Eucharistic overtones may also be present: Christ, the Good Shepherd, feeds his sheep even now, but their ultimate nourishment is the eternal feast.
The Pilgrim Church | Joyful Urgency
The final paragraphs are a summons to perseverance. Gregory urges the faithful to look ahead to the ‘grazing ground’ of heaven, where the saints — ‘fellow citizens’ — already rejoice. He acknowledges life’s obstacles but exhorts believers not to be deterred by them. His words are pastoral, not romantic. Life is a difficult road. Yet even its difficulties, if navigated with eyes on the goal, can lead to joy.
Here Gregory is perhaps most personal. As pope during times of political chaos, famine, and plague, he understood suffering. He had given up the monastic life he loved for the burden of the papacy — reluctantly, but with a profound sense of duty. This context gives his words weight. He knew the ‘rough road’ well. He also knew that worldly success can be just as dangerous as persecution — likening it to a pleasant meadow that distracts the traveller.
Thus, the Christian journey is one of alertness, desire, and endurance. To ‘love thus is to be already on our way,’ he says — a line that echoes Augustine’s teaching that our desire for God is itself the beginning of heaven.
Glossary Of Terms
- Sheepfold: A pen or enclosure for sheep. In Christian imagery, it refers to the Church or the community of salvation under Christ.
- Contemplation: A form of spiritual vision or deep union with God that transcends discursive thought.
- Beatific Vision (implied): The direct, unmediated seeing of God as He is in heaven, the ultimate goal of Christian life.
- Pasture: While literal in agricultural language, here it symbolizes spiritual nourishment and eternal joy.
- Holocausts (in broader Christian texts): Sacrifices that are entirely burned on the altar; symbolizes complete self-gift to God.
A Reading From The Homilies Of Pope Saint Gregory The Great On The Gospels | Jesus Christ The Good Shepherd
I am the good shepherd. I know my own – by which I mean, I love them – and my own know me. In plain words: those who love me are willing to follow me, for anyone who does not love the truth has not yet come to know it.
My dear brethren, you have heard the test we pastors have to undergo. Turn now to consider how these words of our Lord imply a test for yourselves also. Ask yourselves whether you belong to his flock, whether you know him, whether the light of his truth shines in your minds. I assure you that it is not by faith that you will come to know him, but by love; not by mere conviction, but by action. John the evangelist is my authority for this statement. He tells us that anyone who claims to know God without keeping his commandments is a liar.
Consequently, the Lord immediately adds: As the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for my sheep. Clearly he means that laying down his life for his sheep gives evidence of his knowledge of the Father and the Father’s knowledge of him. In other words, by the love with which he dies for his sheep he shows how greatly he loves his Father.
Again he says: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them; they follow me, and I give them eternal life. Shortly before this he had declared: If anyone enters the sheepfold through me he shall be saved; he shall go freely in and out and shall find good pasture. He will enter into a life of faith; from faith he will go out to vision, from belief to contemplation, and will graze in the good pastures of everlasting life.
So our Lord’s sheep will finally reach their grazing ground where all who follow him in simplicity of heart will feed on the green pastures of eternity. These pastures are the spiritual joys of heaven. There the elect look upon the face of God with unclouded vision and feast at the banquet of life for ever more.
Beloved brothers, let us set out for these pastures where we shall keep joyful festival with so many of our fellow citizens. May the thought of their happiness urge us on! Let us stir up our hearts, rekindle our faith, and long eagerly for what heaven has in store for us. To love thus is to be already on our way. No matter what obstacles we encounter, we must not allow them to turn us aside from the joy of that heavenly feast. Anyone who is determined to reach his destination is not deterred by the roughness of the road that leads to it. Nor must we allow the charm of success to seduce us, or we shall be like a foolish traveller who is so distracted by the pleasant meadows through which he is passing that he forgets where he is going.
In this portion of his treatise, Saint Cyprian of Carthage underscores the profoundly communal nature of Christian prayer, especially as it is expressed in the Our Father. Writing in the mid-third century amidst persecution and internal divisions, Cyprian offers not only theological reflection but also pastoral guidance on the meaning and practice of unity in prayer [ … ]
In this reading from his commentary on the Psalms, Saint Hilary of Poitiers reflects on the meaning of unity within the Church, drawing from Psalm 133 (Vg. 132) and from the life of the early Christian community. Unity is presented not as uniformity, but as a shared purpose rooted in faith and love [ … ]
Christian Art | Parousia | Second Coming | Lamb Of God, You Take Away The Sins Of The World Luke 17: 26-37 (Audio Bible KJV, Spoken Word) Early Christian thought about the Parousia – the second coming – was largely influenced by the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. In the early Christian community, expectation of Christ’s return was strong, and many Christians believed that it would happen in their lifetime. This belief is evident in the New Testament, where the authors express a sense of urgency in their writings and encourage their readers to be prepared for Christ’s imminent return. As Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the idea of the Parousia became more complex and nuanced. Theological debates arose around the nature of Christ’s return and the events that would precede it. Some theologians, such as Origen and Augustine, saw the Parousia as a spiritual event that was already happening in the Church. Others, such as the Montanists and the millenarians, believed in a literal, physical return of Christ and the establishment of a new, earthly Kingdom. In the Middle Ages, the Parousia was often associated with apocalypticism and the idea of a final, cataclysmic battle between good and evil – the last battle. The idea of the Antichrist, who would precede Christ’s return, became a popular theme in Christian literature, and the book of Revelation (Apocalypse – meaning to reveal, to uncover) was interpreted as a prophetic guide to the end of the world. Biblical Basis For The Parousia | The Second Coming The concept of the Parousia, or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, is central to Christian eschatology and is supported by numerous biblical passages in both the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, there are numerous passages that refer to the coming of a Messiah who will restore Israel and bring about the final judgment. For example, in Daniel 7:13-14, it is written: ‘I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.’ This passage describes a divine figure who comes in the clouds and is given dominion over all nations. In the New Testament, the Parousia is described in greater detail, particularly in the teachings of Jesus and the writings of Saint Paul. Jesus speaks of his return in many passages, including Matthew 24:30-31, where Jesus says: ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Here, Jesus describes his return in power and glory, accompanied by angels who gather Jesus’ elect from all over the world. In Saint Paul’s letters, the Parousia is also described in detail. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Saint Paul writes: ‘For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.’ This passage describes a resurrection of the dead and the gathering of believers to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. The language and imagery used to describe the Parousia are often dramatic and apocalyptic in nature. The Parousia is often described as a time of judgment, when the righteous will be separated from the wicked, and God’s justice will be fully revealed. The imagery of clouds, trumpets, and angels is used to depict the power and glory of Christ’s return. Theological Interpretations Of The Parousia | Jesus’ Second Coming The concept of the Parousia has been interpreted in a variety of ways throughout Christian history. Dispensationalism Dispensationalism is a theological framework that emerged in the 19th Century and has since become popular among some evangelical and fundamentalist Christians. Dispensationalists believe that history is divided into distinct periods or ‘dispensations’, each of which is marked by a particular mode of divine revelation and a specific plan of salvation. According to dispensationalist theology, the Parousia will be preceded by a period of tribulation, during which the Antichrist will establish a one-world government and the Jews will be restored to their homeland. The Parousia itself will involve a physical, visible return of Christ, who will establish a thousand-year reign on earth before the final judgment. Preterism Preterism is a theological interpretation of the Parousia that holds that many of the prophecies in the New Testament, particularly those in the book of Revelation, were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the Parousia occurred in a spiritual sense when Christ ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower the Church. Preterists argue that the tribulation and other end-time events predicted in the New Testament were fulfilled in the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in AD 70. Postmillennialism Postmillennialism is a theological view that holds that the Parousia will occur after a period of history in which the Church will gradually bring about the kingdom of God on earth. According to this view, the Church will spread the gospel throughout the world, and social, political, and economic conditions will gradually improve. Eventually, Christ will return to a world that has been largely transformed by the Gospel. Amillennialism […]
