The only mediator

Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’ Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them. So Jesus spoke to them again: ‘I tell you most solemnly, I am the gate of the sheepfold. All others who have come are thieves and brigands; but the sheep took no notice of them. I am the gate. Anyone who enters through me will be safe: he will go freely in and out and be sure of finding pasture.The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.’ (John 10, 1-10)

The true shepherd is Jesus: it is He who guides those who believe in Him. The Lord also presents Himself as the door for the sheep to pass through. The sheep use it to enter the fold and to go out to pasture. In saying this, Jesus wanted to emphasise that He is the only mediator between God and people. In the Church, priests are called pastors precisely  because they are ministers of Jesus the good shepherd. Today pray for  your pastor so that the Lord may keep him humble, aware that he is only an instrument in the hands of God.