It’s kind of funny the correlation between the sheep in the gospel today and the way the believers in the first reading were acting. Sheep usually cling together in a little group and so did the first Christians. But, they did not take kindly to Peter admitting outsiders. The outsiders ate food that was unclean, but the new believers did not. They were circumcised, but the new believers were not. The newly formed Christian people thought they were the exclusive followers of Jesus Christ. (Kind of like a modern day membership to an exclusive country club that only admits certain people “of their own kind”.)
Jesus sent a vision to Peter right away to dispel this attitude. Christ’s new kingdom would not have a special bloodline or exclusive membership. Jesus called all people to follow him, not just a few. The more the merrier! Everyone is welcome in his Father’s kingdom. Jesus came to save all people, not just the ones who followed a certain diet.
We could learn a few things from Peter though, in how to deal with difficult situations. It all started with prayer. Yes, we’ve heard this many times, but the solution to many problems can be answered through prayer. We might not always get what we want, but God will show us His will in any given circumstance, if we restrain our impulses to act on our own. And that is what Peter did. He must have prayed for a pretty good while to have fallen into a trance and seen a vision. That is a lesson for us too. Five minutes of prayer is not the same as a deeply personal encounter with the Lord. Short prayers are better than nothing, but they are kind of like a Band-Aid or bandage that is temporarily applied over a deeper need. Peter took the time to properly pray about the problem that this new group of Christians were experiencing and then he paid attention to what the Lord showed him in the vision.
Peter paid attention to the vision during his prayers, but he also paid attention to the three men that coincidentally showed up at his home, and then he trusted the Spirit’s prompting to follow them. When he arrived at this Gentile’s home, Peter listened to what he had to say and believed him when the man told him about the Angel that had appeared in his home. Peter never questioned the validity of this genuine spiritual encounter. When a friend or family member tells us about a spiritual experience that is not in the usual scope of things, how often do we really believe them? Peter believed this man and when he began to speak, the Holy Spirit descended upon the entire household. This changed Christianity for all time, because of Peter’s belief in what this man told him, and his trust in the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Speaking of trust and guidance, that is what the gospel is all about today. Jesus is the shepherd of our hearts and we instinctively know his words are true. Herds of sheep always trust their shepherd and his guidance and they follow him. It’s that simple. Peter shows us how to do this, because Peter knew how to pray and listen. Peter listened to the Lord’s words when he was with him, but Peter also learned how to listen for the Lord’s call, the Holy Spirit’s guidance in the every day circumstances of his life.
Christ calls each of us in many ways. Some of us were called to baptism and entry into the Catholic church as adults. Many young Catholics are called to confirmation when they are teenagers. We were all called to communion though. Communion is a choice we make every time we decide to attend mass. Have you ever felt the Lord calling you to come to mass on a day that isn’t Sunday? Have you ever heard his call to prayer? Maybe to pray before the blessed sacrament? Sometimes the Lord calls us to a deeper way of living, maybe as a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life. For those of us who chose the vocation of marriage, the call to this state in life may not have been sudden either, but a gradual awareness, a feeling that sat right in your heart and you simply knew it was the right thing to do.
Sometimes Jesus calls people to a particular ministry as well. It might be something that you personally never dreamed of doing, but the gentle tug in your heart simply won’t relent. You should trust your instincts just like Peter did, and follow where your heart is leading you. When Jesus talks about entering the sheepfold by any other way, one way of how this happens, is when we charge off and do what we think is best, without consulting the Lord and listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Jesus is the one who opens the door to our hearts, a crack at a time sometimes, and that is much better way than rushing off to do whatever catches our attention at the moment.
About the momentary impulses. That has a lot to do with the thieves and robbers that Jesus talks about that steals, kills and destroys. He may be talking about the temporary pleasures that so many of us have pursued in our lives, that bring no lasting joy or peace or love into our lives. The things that can drain us of peace, love and joy are: abusing drugs and alcohol, multiple romantic relationships, gambling, a high stress job with long hours at work, the lure of money, prestige or position in life, and of course you get the drift. When we decide to follow Jesus though, we are like the sheep that come in and go out and find pasture and we discover an abundance of peace, love and joy that are the fruits of a genuine relationship with the Lord.
And that’s the last thing Jesus said in today’s gospel. “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” This is what Jesus wants for us. He wants us to be happy in this life, while we journey together toward our Father’s kingdom. Jesus went before us, to show us the way home.
Daily Mass Readings:
Acts 11: 1-18 / Psalm 42: 2-3; 43: 3, 4 / John 10: 11-18
