Good Shepherd Sunday

On Good Shepherd Sunday, Archbishop Alick Banda celebrated the first Mass at Mary Immaculate Parish and later concluded the day with the final Mass at the Cathedral of the Child Jesus, where various religious congregations showcased their vocations.

Vocation Sunday drew together diverse religious congregations, each exhibiting their unique charisms and vocations. The exhibitions offered the faithful a living testimony of the many paths through which the Church continues Christ’s mission.

The day’s events highlighted both the unity and diversity of the Catholic community in Zambia, reminding the faithful that vocation is not merely a calling but a way of life rooted in the Good Shepherd.

Earlier as Mary Immaculate Parish, Archbishop Banda called on the faithful to reflect deeply on the choices that shape their lives, contrasting the life of a shepherd with that of a thief, emphasizing that the Gospel presents not just imagery but a profound question of existence, leadership, and discipleship.

“On this Vocation Sunday vis-à-vis Good Shepherd Sunday, the Word of God places before us a striking contrast: to live like a shepherd, or to live like a thief. This is not merely a comparison; it is, as a matter of fact, a question addressed to our lives,” Archbishop Banda said.

Drawing from the Gospel of John, he
explained that the shepherd enters through the door, calls his sheep by name,
and gives life abundantly, while the thief sneaks in, hides, and seeks only to
“steal, kill, and destroy.”

He warned that modern life, filled with endless voices, notifications, and noise, risks drowning out the voice of Christ, the
Good Shepherd.

“The shepherd is not simply an image, but
a way of life,” he noted, stressing that Jesus identifies Himself with this role, leading,
protecting, and laying down His life for His flock. By contrast, the thief represents exploitation, manipulation, and destruction, both in external actions and interior attitudes.

The Archbishop challenged the faithful to examine their relationships with themselves, others, and creation.

“Do others live more fully because of us, or do they live less because of ourselves?” he asked, urging believers to embody the shepherd’s mission of nurturing life, dignity, and freedom.

He concluded with two probing questions: “In the relationships and responsibilities entrusted to us, are we living like a shepherd or like a thief? And among the many voices that surround us, do we truly listen to the voice of Christ?”

The Archbishop reminded the faithful that the answers are not found in words but in the lives they lead, lives that either bring fullness and freedom, or diminish the dignity of others.