The fourth Sunday of Easter is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. This day evokes in us the image of Jesus Christ as The Good Shepherd and His global community of followers as His sheep. This image has endured over the centuries as a representation to us of the protection, security, guidance and care that shepherds, whatever their form, provide for their flock. Today’s first reading, from Acts 13:14 43-52 reminds us that when Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch to preach the Gospel, the Lord commanded them to be “an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” They gained huge crowds, and were eventually persecuted and expelled from the territory, but did so “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”

These seeds of Gospel are still being spread today, often by inspirational figures close to us. In the words of one such person, “People have courage you would never expect.”

Dr. Tom Catena is the only resident physician for an area of over 500,000 people – courageous people who are currently victim to countless atrocities of civil war that has disrupted life in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan since 2011. He lives at the Mother of Mercy Hospital, in order to be on-call at any time of day, and care for the vulnerable, injured, poor and displaced people in this area. He offers love and mercy to those who are suffering, and works to save, quite literally, the lives of His flock from this end of the earth that is too often overlooked. Just like Paul and Barnabas, he has been persecuted – the Mother of Mercy Hospital has been bombed numerous times – yet Dr. Catena stays, full of courage and dedication. In his own words, he said, “I was influenced very much by St. Francis of Assisi, whose idea was to radically live the Gospel… not to just live it half way, or live it from a distance, but to really enter into that reality.”
Today, humbly reflect on the ways you can be an instrument of salvation for all the shepherds of the world, like Dr. Catena.Pray for him, consider supporting his work, and let us all become good shepherds and good sheep to those in need.