INTRODUCTION
On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, called Good Shepherd Sunday, we continue to reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection. This is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Today, we celebrate the risen Lord as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. The priest in charge of a parish is called pastor because “pastor” means shepherd. As shepherd, he leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects Christ’s sheep, the people of i the parish. The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the actualization of the ancient image of God the Good Shepherd. Christians today are called to revive the image of God the Good Shepherd in a world that no longer see the hand of God in its affairs and as a contrary testimony against all forms of autocratic rule that is indifferent to the pains and sufferings of the people.
FIRST READING: Acts 4:8-12
The third chapter of the Acts of the Apostles contains a detail of the healing of the cripple at the beautiful gate by Peter and John his companion. This miracle and the evangelization of the people eventually led to their arrest. They hauled Peter and John to the assembly of the leaders, elders and the scribes. Today’s account their trial before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:5-22). Here again the power of the Holy Spirit was made available for Peter to bear a renewed Easter witness to the risen Lord who had been unjustly crucified. Peter made it clear that he operated the healing in the name of Jesus who they rejected, but whom God chose to make a cornerstone.
We remark that Peter’s healing of the cripple was not just because he had the Holy Spirit in him, he acted as a Good Shepherd who cared for the wounded sheep just like his Master.
The healing demonstrated Peter’s undiluted faith in the name of the Risen Lord. Hence, the whole episode teaches us that;
1). As Christians, irrespective of the material gifts we offer to people, the most generous and perfect gift we can offer is Christ;
2). We must be able to recognize always that the power of the Risen Lord lives in us. Thus we should be courageous to make use of it when the need arises;
3). We should never be ashamed of proclaiming the Gospel for it is the reason why we are what we are;
4). We should be ready to face challenges for the sake of the good we do;
5). As long as we are filled with the Spirit of the Lord, He will be our advocate in the midst of our accusers and persecutors.
SECOND READING: 1 John 3:1-2
The New American Bible in its introduction to John’s letters states that John wrote these letters to the Judeo-Christian community some of whose members were advocating false doctrines (2:18-26; 3:7). They refused to accept the full Divinity and full humanity of Jesus, disregarded the commandment of love of neighbor, refused to accept Faith in Christ as the source of sanctification, and denied the redemptive value of Jesus’ death. After recognizing and correcting these errors, John, in today’s second reading, reminds his people that they should remember their privileges. First, it is their privilege to be called the children of God. John clarifies that we are not merely called the children of God; we are God’s children in actuality. It is by grace, through Baptism, that we become God’s children. The more we know and love the God we believe in, the more we will strive to act and live as God’s children, and so, gradually become more and more like the God we believe in. The culmination of all our privileges as children of God will occur when Christ appears, for only then will we see him “as He really is,” and we shall be like Him (Fr. Anthony Kadavil).
GOSPEL: John 10: 11-18
Probably this Gospel scene took place in the wintertime, during the Jewish feast of Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication) which celebrates the commemoration of the triumph of the Jewish commander Judas Maccabaeus over the Syrian leader Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 165 B.C. Jesus was walking on the east side of the Temple, which offered protection against the cold winds from the desert. As usual He had a couple of many jews who gathered round him. They were still sceptical about the “messiaship” of Jesus. Therefore, they needed to clear their doubt by asking Jesus whether he was truly the Christ or simply a one of the prophets as was popularly believed. As it is typical of the evangelist John, Jesus revealed his identity metaphorically by using the denomination “Good Shepherd”. Jesus’s choice of explanation was not put of place. He virtually used a familiar imagery very much common in his cultural context.
THE USE OF SHEPHERD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT:
Right from the Old Testament, the image of the Shepherd is often applied to God as well as to the leaders of the people. The book of Exodus often calls Yahweh a Shepherd. This is equally emblematic in the prophesies of Isaiah and Ezekiel who compared Yahweh’s care and protection of His people to that of a shepherd: “He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against His breast and leading the mother ewes to their rest.” (Is 40:11). Ezekiel often represents God as a loving Shepherd Who searches diligently for his lost sheep corresponding to the beautiful davidic Psalm 23 which contains the famous image of God as the Good Shepherd: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters; he restores my sou.”(Ps 23: 1-2). The prophets often use harsh words to scold the selfish and insincere shepherds (or leaders) of their day. For example, the Lord God, through Jeremiah, decrees: “Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered”(Jer 23:1). Through Ezekiel, the Lord God scolds the religious leaders promising them, “Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock” (Ez 34:2).
THE USE OF SHEPHERD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT:
Introducing himself as the Good Shepherd of his flock, Jesus makes five claims in today’s Gospel:
1) He knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice: Just as the Palestinian shepherds knew each sheep of their flock by name, and each sheep knew its shepherd and his voice, so Jesus knows each one of us, our needs, our merits and our faults. Of course, the knowledge talked of here is not mere intellectual knowing but the knowledge that comes from love and experience, and leads to care and concern for the other. Jesus loves us as we are, with all our limitations, and he expects us to receive and return his love by keeping his word. He speaks to us at every Mass, through the Bible, through our pastors, through our parents, family, and friends, and through the events of our lives. “God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our consciences, and He SHOUTS in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world!” (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Ch. 6 “Human Pain”).
2) He gives eternal life to his sheep by receiving us into his sheepfold through Baptism. Jesus strengthens our Faith by giving us the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. He supplies food for our souls by the Holy Eucharist and by the Divine words of the Holy Bible. He makes our society holy by the Sacraments of Matrimony and the Priesthood.
3) He protects his sheep by placing them in the loving hands of his Almighty Father. Without Him to guide us and protect us, we are easy prey for the spiritual wolves of this world: that includes Satan, as well as the seven deadly sins of pride, avarice, envy, gluttony, anger, lust and sloth.
4) He goes in search of his stray lambs and heals his sick ones. In the first part of chapter ten of John’s Gospel, Jesus adds two more roles to the work of the good shepherd. Jesus heals the wounds of our souls by the Sacrament of Reconciliation and strengthens us in illness and old age by the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.
5) Jesus dies for his sheep: Just as the shepherds of ancient days protected their sheep from wild animals and thieves by risking their own lives, so Jesus died in expiation for the sins of all people.
In the final part of today’s Gospel, Jesus invites those who are touched and saved by the love of the Shepherd, to shepherd and care for others. “There are other sheep that are not of this fold and these I have to lead as well.” Though Jesus cares for his own, he loves all of us and takes responsibility for all of us without exception, for God has created all of us and loves us all. Jesus ultimately dies because he cares for all peoples.
“The other sheep.” Jesus’ reference to other sheep and to one flock (v. 16) points to the universality and unity of the community of believers. By “the other sheep” Jesus probably meant the poor, the tax collectors and sinners who were generally ostracized by society. Like the Jews, the earliest Church considered the Gentiles and unbelievers as the “other sheep”; that error ended while Peter was still living, and Paul combatted it throughout his ministry to the Gentiles. We are now being challenged to recognize our own list of those whom we fear or scorn because their attitudes or behaviors differ from ours. Let us pray for the day when there will be “one flock, one Shepherd.” (Fr Anthony Kadavil).
LIFE MESSAGES:
1)Let us become good shepherds:
Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. Hence pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, bosses, government officials, and politicians are all shepherds. Since shepherding a diocese, a parish, a civil community, a workplace, or a family is very demanding, the shepherds need dedication, commitment, sacrifice, and vigilance every day. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers. Parents must be especially careful of their duties as shepherds, becoming role models for their children by leading exemplary lives and living out what they are trying to teach their children.
2)Let us be good sheep in the fold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd:
Our local parish is our sheepfold, and our pastors are our shepherds. Jesus is the High Priest, the bishops are the successors of the apostles, the pastors are their helpers, and the parishioners are the sheep. Hence, as the good sheep of our parish, a) Let us hear and follow the voice of our shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes, counseling and advice. b) Let us take the spiritual food given by our pastors through regular and active participation in the Holy Mass and by frequenting the sacraments, prayer services, renewal programs and missions. c) Let us cooperate with our pastors by praying for them always, by thanking and praising them for all they are doing for all of us, by giving them positive suggestions (rather than negative criticisms), for the welfare of the parish, and generally giving them friendly, supportive encouragement. Let us also cooperate in the activities of various councils, ministries and parish associations.
3. Are you wounded?
If we are leaders and still have the whole of our being intact, then we are not good leaders. If we have not been wounded for the sake of the people we are called to serve, the we must be sure that we are not serving them according to God’s design. There is no true Shepherd without a wound. It is a mark of testimony for those who have chosen to conform their lives to that of the Supreme Shepherd who was wounded for the sake of his people. The wounds can be painful most times, but let us be sure that the more painful the wound is, the more glorious we become. May God give us the grace to accept our wounds as we lay our lives in the service of others. Let us not forget that a true shepherd is one who does not have a different odour from the sheep he leads.
3)We are called to pray for vocations:
Today we are enjoined to pray for vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life, religious and lay so that we may have more holy, Spirit-filled shepherds to lead, feed, and protect the Catholic faith, and more responsive, loving, cooperative sheep. Christian thinking on vocation has been summarized in one profound saying: “All are priests, some are priests, but only one is the Priest.” Christ Jesus is the Priest in the full sense because he is the one mediator between God and humanity who offered Himself as a unique sacrifice on the cross. The universal priesthood of all believers, the sharing of all the baptized in the priesthood of Christ, has received special emphasis since Vatican II. Those who are called to make a lifelong commitment to serve as ordained ministers share the ministerial priesthood of Jesus. On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations we are asked to pray specifically for young men and women to respond to God’s call to serve His Church in the ministerial priesthood and in the religious life. Our world needs Jesus which only those who are true to their vocation can offer without using their offices to advocate for the “madness” of our world today.
PRAYER
Almighty and ever-living God, who in your great mercy has shown your people the depth of your love by offering your only Begotten Son as a ransom for their sins. Grant, we pray, that as You have gathered us into your fold through Him, we may never stray away from you again, but always follow wherever You lead us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
PAX VOBIS!
