Holy Angels Anglican Church
Homily for the Second Sunday after Easter
(April 19, 2026)
St. John 10:11-16
“… and there shall be one flock and one shepherd”
Given by: The Rev. Fr. Vincent J. Varnas
Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd; and know my sheep,” ... [and my sheep know me]. He went on to say: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one flock, and one shepherd” (Jn. 10:14,16).
So, what does it mean: “One flock”? And who are the “other sheep ... not of this fold”?
First-off, the flock are the “lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matt. 10:6 and 15:24). These are the Jews that Jesus came first to save. And then when Jesus speaks of “others not of this fold” that will become “one-flock”, He is addressing future generations of believers, particularly Gentiles, such as ourselves.
“One Flock” also means the Christian Church that Jesus established when He walked the face of the earth. These are catholic and that means universal, and these are the churches that comprise His Mystical Body or Church Militant. They are the churches that adhere to and faithfully practice the unadulterated teachings of Christ (e.g., Jn. 8:52 and Matt. 26:27 and 1 Cor.11:24).
Historically and theologically speaking, Jesus came to establish His Church on earth, as well as make atonement for our sins. Initially that Church was a Jewish sect known as the Jewish Christians. These were the Jews who were His disciples and converted to Christianity.
Christianity was uniquely established in and by what are called the “Four Marks of the Church”. These are, “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic” . Let’s unpack these terms and see just how they are the substance of today’s Gospel reading from St. John about “one flock and one shepherd”.
The first Mark of the Church is that it is one. From St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, (3:26-28), we are told that all who are baptized are one in Christ. And, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, (12:5), we are told that we are “one body in Christ” and from his Letter to the Colossians, we learn that His Body is the Church (1:24). Thus, as Christ subsists in His Church, as established 2000 years ago, we are members of that Body, the Church. We are one in Christ. But how can that be, if there are so many divisions within Christianity?
From the Book of Luke, we read about St. John’s objection to an outsider who was not a disciple of Christ, yet nonetheless casted-out devils. St. John said to Jesus: “Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name; and we forbad him, because he followeth not with us. And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us” (Lk. 9:49-50). The power to cast-out devils comes from God. The outsider who was casting-out devils was acting in the Name of Christ. Therefore, he became an integral part of His Church, even though he was not one of the Apostles. Thus, those acting independently of the Apostles but still in the Name of Jesus and in accordance with His doctrinal teachings were all part of His Body, the Church.
This principle remains today. Yet, with one caveat. Once Jesus ascended into Heaven, He left His Church on earth (Church Militant) to His Apostles, and they became its’ bishops. Thereby establishing an Apostolic Line of Succession for ordination within His Church . So, those ordained in the Apostolic line of succession are Catholic! And have been given the power by the Holy Spirit through a bishop to administer the Seven Sacraments, including consecration of the Eucharist and forgiveness of sins. Christ Jesus subsists in our Anglo-Catholic Church!
Our “Church” is communal. From St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, we understand that: “Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular” (12:27). And, from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body, and one spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (4:4-6). Simply put, the Church is spiritually one, because all who are baptized into the Body of Christ, His Church, are one Body. Although there are many Christian churches and denominations, it takes nothing away from the fact that we are one in Christ.
The second mark of the Church is holiness. Since the Church is one in Christ and He is holy, the Church and its constituent parts; its members, are holy. This holiness comes from the Holy Spirit who guides and directs the leaders of His Church, even though some have chosen to ignore Him! And this Mark of the Church called “holiness” is most evident in the love shown by Christians for all of God’s children.
And the third mark of the Church is catholic. Catholic means universal. The Church is for all, not just the Jews, but all of humanity. Christ’s Body, the Church, is for everyone on earth. And in that context, Jesus was seeing into the future. He saw and accepted a proliferation of universal churches that broke-away from the original Roman Catholic Church, yet many remain a Sacramental part of His Body, the Church. These are the continuing churches. And we are one of those churches.
And lastly of the four marks of the Church is being apostolic. It is known as the unbroken line of apostolic succession from the first century up to and including the present time. It is episcopal by nature, meaning that the bishops are the leaders of the Church and are the only ones who have power given by the Holy Spirit to ordain men to holy orders. Bishops are consecrated to this order by other bishops.
Christ is the Mystical Body of the Church. And just as many older church buildings are built of individual stones, so too are we the living stones that comprise our Church and His Body. We are its members. We are Church and are one in Christ, as the four Marks of the Church prescribe. We are “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic”. We can be separated, but never completely divided, for we are inextricably joined together in Christ. We are one flock with one Shepherd. This is what it means to be both Christian and Catholic.