Fourth Sunday of Easter • Year A
We, too, are called to do simple things: to cook and to clean, to work and to study, to reach out to a friend, to pray. And sometimes we are called to suffer, whether it be the death of a loved one, the failure of a project, or rejection by a friend. Sickness, financial difficulties, day-to-day struggles – in all of these, Jesus promises, is the way to life. Suffering is not explained, but rather is offered as a mystical part of following Christ and completing his work. In our gospel today, Jesus says that he is both the shepherd who leads us and the gate through which we are to enter into a more abundant life.