Fourth Sunday of Easter April 26 2026 John 10:1-10 Throughout the liturgical texts of this fourth Sunday after Easter, we celebrate the Good Shepherd. We can find a link, a harmonizing, between the basic themes surfaced through the two Gospel texts: that of the second Sunday after Easter, also called Divine Mercy Sunday (John 20: 19-31) and that of the fourth Sunday, (the Good Shepherd (Jn 10: 1-10). Mercy is one of the defining characteristics which marked the person of Jesus. With Thomas, the unbeliever who is converted, Jesus demonstrates his tenderness and mercy. He forgives Thomas’ unbelief, but at the same time, invites him to a life which is richer and more fulfilling. “Stop doubting but believe. Blessed are those who believe without seeing.” (Jn 19:28). The same attitude of mercy describes the person of the Good Shepherd about whom Jesus speaks in the parable. It is love which dominates the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep, especially the one who wanders away. The shepherd seeks him out. It is a true love, concrete and palpable, marked by a climate of mutual confidence. Knowledge then becomes the foundation of this love, this mutual confidence. Without this knowledge, the sheep would […]