"I am the Light of the world."  As a created being we have the gift of reason, enabling us to receive data and to come to a conclusion. As a new creation, we have been given by Jesus, who is Light, the gift of faith, enabling us to embrace the mysteries of revelation. By reason I can come to know that there is a God. But only by faith can I accept that the One God is Triune in Person. By reason, when Thomas saw the risen Christ in his glorified Body, Thomas knew it was Jesus. But faith enable him to proclaim; "My Lord and my God." By reason we acknowledge the presence of bread and wine at Mass. But, after the consecration, we believe that we are gazing and receiving the Real Body and Blood of Jesus. Reason and Faith are not in opposition. Faith adds to what reason cannot know on its own. We say that Baptism is an enlightenment because we receive the gift of faith in our role as a new creation. What would our life be without light of faith?

 "I am the Light of the world."  In another part of John's Gospel, Jesus stated: "I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness." Jesus' mission from the Father was to bring the truth of God's Word, which would set us free from the darkness of the lies spoken by the Evil One over the centuries. Those who embraced him as One sent by God, experienced the enlightenment of their minds and hearts. His words gave meaning to their lives. But those who refused to believe and change were blinded by the light and preferred to remain locked up in their world of darkness. It is the choice of each of us to embrace the light or to flee from the light, to embrace his mercy and love or to remain in our sins.

 Fourth Sunday of Easter Gospel B 

Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. 

· The prophet Ezekiel prepared the way for Jesus’ teaching. Because of the unfaithfulness of the leaders, God said: “I myself will pasture my sheep.” (Ez 34:15) and then he said: “I will appoint one shepherd over them to pasture them, my servant David; he shall pasture them and be their shepherd.” (Ez 34:23) Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy.

A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep.

· Reflect on your present relationship with Jesus, first from Jesus’ perspective and then from yours. Is there a difference? What is it? How key is Jesus’ decision to lay down his life for you? Is this our stumbling block in the relationship?

I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd. 

· This is the basis for all ecumenical outreach in the Church: the desire and commitment of Jesus for unity.

This is why the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father." 

· Why do you think Jesus returns to the point of the Father’s love for him and his decision to lay down his life and to take it up again? Do you think it has anything to do with his suffering, death and resurrection? Reflect on this.

· As you read this passage what new understanding of your relationship with Jesus do you have? What response is Jesus calling from you at this time of your life?

 
"I am the Light of the world." What does Jesus mean? He has come into the word to reveal the mysteries which only can be accepted by faith. What mysteries? He reveals to us that God is one but three persons. He reveals that he has come to reveal the depth of the Father's love by becoming man and giving his life to ransom us from the darkness of sin. He comes to reveal that he shares his life with us so that fed by his Body and Blood, we may live eternally. He reveals that once God forgives us our sins, he forgets them. He is both the revealer of the mysteries and the revelation. As light, Jesus enables our reason and understanding to realize that there is more than we can know left to ourselves. Jesus, enlighten me.

 "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life."  For the Apostles this was more than a truth. It was a lived experienced. When Jesus died, their hope in him as the Messiah also died. Their world  had now become darkness. When he rose from the dead and appeared to them, they experienced the light that transforms life. As the sun dispels the darkness of night, so the Son of God dispelled the darkness of despair and condemnation. We too experience this transformation when we separated ourselves from God through sin and then are restored anew by the Light of life. We can choose to live in the darkness of nothingness or we can accept and embrace the new life of grace from the Light of the world. 

 
"I am the Bread of Life." What is the key to accepting that as Word and Eucharist Jesus is the spiritual nourishment that gives us eternal life? What was and is lacking among some of Jesus' contemporaries and among us today? Faith. Not just a faith that is an accent of the will to a truth, but a faith based on a personal experience, moved by grace, to embrace the mystery of the revealed word and the real Body and Blood of Jesus in Eucharist. Jesus addressed this lack of faith in him, as the One sent by God, when many of his disciples complained that the words of Jesus were too difficult to accept. In contrast, Peter expressed the faith of one who, without understanding, accepted Jesus at his word. He said: "To whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe that your are the Son of God." While reason demands tangible, scientific proof, faith makes the leap of acceptance, because of who Jesus is. This faith is a grace that is received and acted upon. 

 "I am the Bread of life."  Jesus was expanding the understanding of the people of his day. Their focus was limited to physical food. Jesus tells them that physical food is necessary but not sufficient for eternity. He desired to give them food that would nourished the spiritual life that God desires them to share now and eternally.  Manna was for the day and their ancestors still died. But the one who eats the Bread of life will live forever even after they died. At the time, people didn't have much of an understanding of life after death, except as a state of nothingness. Jesus told them. "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” This last statement was the stumbling block for them. Because they couldn't fully accept him, they could not accept his word. We truly believe that the bread and wine are the real Body and Blood of Christ, not a symbol. If Jesus meant it to be a symbol, he would have said so.