Homily - 6th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

6^th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

First Reading: Acts 15:1-2, 22-29          Second Reading: 21:10-14, 22-23          Gospel Reading: John 14:23-29

 

GOD ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES.

 

Billy, a young man and only son from a wealthy family was about to graduate from high school. It was the custom in that affluent neighborhood for the parents to give the graduate an automobile. Billy and his father had spent months looking at cars, and at last a week before graduation, they found the perfect car.

On the eve of graduation, Billy's father handed him a gift wrapped Bible. Billy was so angry that he threw the Bible down and stormed out of the house. He and his father never saw each other again. It was the news of his father's death that brought Billy home again.

As he sat one night going through his father's possessions that he was to inherit, he came across the Bible his father had given him. He brushed away the dust and opened it to find a cashier's check, dated the day of his graduation – in the the exact amount of the car they had chosen together. Billy was stunned and sat there with his mind shattered. His father had kept the promise.

God, our Father also has promised us the riches of heaven through His Son Jesus Christ. Moreover, God always keeps His Promises. And still some of us live as if we do not believe His promise.

Today is the 6^th and the last Sunday of Easter. The Gospel Reading of today from St. John continues the Farewell Discourse of Jesus. Ideally situated in the liturgical year to anticipate the coming feasts of Ascension and Pentecost, the reading tells both of Jesus’ immanent departure and his promise of the Paraclete. Moreover, the other two Scripture Readings are also a continuation of last Sunday's respective readings. All three readings hold together by well connected themes - wrapping up and bringing us to the transitional end point of the Easter season with the blessings of peace.

Again, today's readings are full of promises – the promise of divine indwelling, the promise of the gift of peace, the promise of the Paraclete, and finally, the promise of the New Jerusalem. Perhaps it will not be wrong, therefore, to call this Sunday – 'Promise Sunday.'

PROMISISES MADE.....

In the Gospel Reading, we have Jesus talking about his immanent departure. But at the same time, he also assures his disciples that he will not leave them uncared for, abandoned. They are promised a divine indwelling, the Paraclete to guide them and the gift of peace.

 

A Divine Indwelling:

Firstly, Jesus continues to speak on the topic of love and gives his disciples a defining mandate. He speaks of love, the pivotal Christian virtue, and links it with being true to his word. To love Jesus and to keep his word are the same. Jesus' 'word,' of course, is his whole life. It includes all his words and actions and his teaching. If we truly love Jesus, we will 'keep his word,' i.e. we will try to be like him in every way, sharing his vision, his attitudes, his values. Moreover, to receive his word is to receive the Father and the Son, since abiding with the word of the Lord testifies to the reality of divine presence. Indeed, the specifically Christian dimension of love is the intimate communion and indwelling of the Father and the Son with the disciples.

 

The Paraclete to Guide Them:

Secondly, abiding with the Word of God, with its consequent communion in the love of the Father and the Son, is made possible when the Holy Spirit comes into the hearts of the disciples. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit will the disciples be empowered to 'keep the word' of Jesus. That is why, referring to his immanent departure, Jesus, in his farewell discourse, made this astounding promise, “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” When Jesus is no longer physically present, God's Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will be with them. 'Advocate' is a translation of the Greek word 'Paraclete' and it carries a range of meanings. It literally means 'one called alongside to help' whenever necessary. In other words, the disciples need not be troubled or afraid because they are never alone. The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, is always with them to defend them, to intercede for them, and to comfort them.

 

The Gift of Peace:

And thirdly, central to the passage are the words of Jesus concerning the peace that he gives to his disciples, and he links it with the promised coming of the Holy Spirit. Peace is his farewell and his gift to them. It is 'his' peace, a kind of peace the world cannot give. This world’s peace involves absence from war. Jesus is talking about an inner peace, the peace of having God with us in our walks through life. Jesus' peace is not just on the surface; it is not just a feeling of pleasure. It is something deep down which can be there even in time of hardship and suffering.

'SHALOM!' 'PEACE!' This customary Jewish greeting and farewell evokes the perfect happiness and the deliverance that the Messiah would bring. It is the perfect benediction and farewell blessing that Jesus could give to his disciples. The peace that he bequeaths is the spiritual serenity and certainty that comes from harmony and profound communion with God and His saving will. Each Mass we recite those words before the Kiss of Peace. Have they become almost too familiar to us?

Furthermore, the leave-taking of Jesus is associated with a call to rejoicing. Those who truly love Jesus would experience that his 'homecoming' into the bosom of the Father is a cause for rejoicing. Christ’s return to the Father is a glorious moment and font of joy for his disciples.

THE EARTHLY EARLY CHURCH – A VIVID EXAMPLE

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the early Church sought to live in love and share the gift of peace, Jesus’ final gift. We have a vivid example of this in the First Reading of today from the Acts of the Apostles. The first disciples of Jesus were, like Jesus himself, Jews. In the beginning they tended to keep all the regular customs of the Jews. They did not see themselves as starting a new religion; they were a continuation and development of the traditions of their ancestors. Jesus himself said he had not come to abolish the Law but to bring it to fulfillment.

However, today's reading records the first crisis that the early Church faced. As we know, Paul was commissioned to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. He baptized them without requiring them to observe the law of Moses, specially that of ritual circumcision and its dietary laws; i.e. not to eat forbidden food. With this approach, he was able to win over many converts. But his ministry was disrupted when some traditional Jewish Christians from Jerusalem who visited Antioch compelled the Gentiles to follow the Mosaic law. Paul opposed this vehemently. He argued that salvation is won by faith in Christ, not by the works of the law. There was so much dissension that Paul and Barnabas went on a peace-mission to Jerusalem to meet with the church leaders there and hash it all out. This gathering was later called the Council of Jerusalem, the first of the Church's Councils.

The final outcome was that the community leaders in Jerusalem approved of what was happening in Antioch. After intense debate, the Council decided that converts were not obliged to observe the Mosaic law in its entirety. However, to facilitate social contact with Jewish Christians, they were to observe certain minimum Jewish practices like 'abstaining from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage.' This decision which vindicated Paul was received with great joy by the Gentile community. What is significant here is that the leaders' decision was made explicitly under the influence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In a 'peace-treaty' letter to the Gentile converts in Antioch the Church leaders wrote, "It has been decided by the Holy Spirit and by ourselves not to saddle you with any burden," viz. that of being circumcised.

The issue tackled in the Council of Jerusalem may appear to us as a non–issue. But for the early Church, the issue was crucial - it could mean the end of the ministry to the Gentiles. It was a major breakthrough for the early Church and only the first of many over the centuries. And we see it happening again and again. And thanks to its timely resolution, the ministry to the Gentiles was able to proceed. Unknown to most of us, it was because of this Council decision that the Good News had reached our shores.

THE NEW JERUSALEM – OUR ULTIMATE DESTINATION

One of God’s most wonderful promises to those who love Him is the creation of the new Jerusalem, a place of unimaginable magnificence, enormity, beauty and perfection, wherein shines the glory of God. In fact, Jesus promised to go ahead of his followers and prepare a place for them in the new Jerusalem, and the Old Testament heroes who exhibited unwavering faith in the Word of God had their eyes trained on this future city, a place where justice would reign, peace would flourish and righteousness would endure for all of eternity.

In the Second Reading of today from the Book Revelation, the Apostle John describes a vision of new Jerusalem and it is so filled with symbols that gleam and sparkle that we will never run out of them. As we review the architectural and mathematical details of this magnificent pictorial structure, we notice how it would be absolutely impossible to design it without divine inspiration. But the most glorious aspect of the new Jerusalem has nothing to do with its material splendor. The best part of the new Jerusalem will be that God Himself will dwell among men.

Again, the vision of the New Jerusalem links the Jewish heritage of the Church (twelve gates on which were inscribed the names of the twelve tribes) with the apostolic preaching (twelve courses of foundation stones with the names of the twelve apostles). Christians have no need of a fixed location for their worship, however, because in this new city “the temple is the Lord God almighty and the Lamb.” Moreover, in this new dispensation of grace, the new Jerusalem with three gates that are open to those from the North, South, East and West without distinction or discrimination speak of the universality of faithful believers.

PROMISISES FULFILLED....

God is ever faithful and He always keeps His Promises. All the above promises which St. John mentions, the Risen Jesus fulfilled on the very day of Resurrection when he made his first appearance to his disciples, where they had locked themselves in the Upper Room in Jerusalem for fear of Jews. After his typical greeting of “Peace be with you,” Risen Jesus showed them his wounds and sent them on his mission to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Then “He breathed on them and said: Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Today, when we come to the end of Easter Season, Jesus challenges us to keep the Word of God. He promises us the gift of the Holy Spirit who will empower us to do so as well as fill us with joy and inner peace that will calm our anxieties and fears.

The Holy Spirit is Jesus' gift to us as individuals. We listen to him specially in prayer, guided by the words of Jesus. But, we live our faith not only as individuals but also as a community of believers, as a Church. The Holy Spirit is also Jesus' gift to the Church. It is through the Holy Spirit that the Church's fidelity to the teachings of Jesus has been assured over the centuries and continues to our day and into the future, viz. 'the Heavenly Jerusalem.' And this is the Good News of today.

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Homily - 5th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

5^th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

First Reading: Acts 14:21-27      Second Reading: Revelation 21:1-5a      Gospel Reading: John 13:31-33a, 34-35

“A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU – 'LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.'”

One day, as Blessed Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity Sisters were tending to the poorest of the poor on the streets of Kolkata, they happened to pass across a man lying in the gutter, very near death. He was filthy, dressed in little more than a rag and flies swarmed around his body. Immediately, Mother Teresa embraced him, spoke to him softly and began to pick out the maggots that were nesting in his flesh. A passerby was repulsed by the sight of the man and exclaimed to Mother Teresa, “I wouldn’t do that for a million dollars.” Her response was immediate, “Neither would I!”

Obviously, monetary gain did not motivate the diminutive woman known as 'The Saint of Kolkata'; love did. In her writings, Mother Teresa frequently quoted Jesus' new commandment, and affirmed the motivating power of love. She often used to say, 'We must grow in love, and to do this we must go on loving, and loving, and giving, and giving, until it hurts - the way Jesus did.'

We are in the Easter season and today is its 5^th Sunday. The season of Easter reminds us of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus and it is a celebration of 'new life,' which has come to us through our Risen Lord. What do we mean by this 'new life?' Have we experienced this 'new life' this Easter or, for that matter, in any previous Easter? Or does the Easter experience simply pass by and nothing happens?

Our Scripture Readings for today are a mixed group, but each reflects the Easter message of 'new life.' All three of them inevitably speak about 'newness,' and at the same time stand on a firm common ground and build blocks over it, ever raising it tall. The Gospel Reading speaks of a new commandment of love, which is the foundation and heart of Jesus' teaching and his message. The First Reading speaks of new converts and new communities formed and founded by the Apostles, here on earth, on Jesus' new commandment of love. And the Second Reading speaks about a new heaven & a new earth and a new Jerusalem, after our life here on earth, which is the attic apartment and the culmination of Jesus' new commandment of love. Let us consider each of them:

The New Commandment...

Our Gospel text today is oddly a look backward. It is taken from St. John’s version of the Last Supper and for obvious reasons, it deserves first consideration. Today's Gospel passage actually follows the presumed Last Supper meal, then the example of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (including those of Judas), continuing with the lesson in theological reflection on that example of service, then Judas’ departure from the assembly, and finally the bestowal of the 'new commandment.'

Jesus has washed the feet of his foot-weary table companions, and has thus provided an example of what it means to love. What he has done for them, they are to do for one another. In other words, no form of service is too menial for a Christian disciple, and privileged exemption from service of others has no place in gospel living.

Judas' departure sets the scene for Jesus' last Discourse. Events have been set in train that will culminate in God’s victory over evil and death. The die is cast; there is no going back now. Jesus' 'hour' has come. Jesus begins by speaking about his 'glorification,' i.e., his passion, death and resurrection. He says, "The Son of man is glorified and God is glorified in him." The Son of Man is glorified both in his willingness to obey God even unto death and in the fact that God will glorify him by making his sacrifice effective for the salvation of all. By pouring out his life for us, Jesus not only saves us, but also gives us a perfect example of what love is.

However, this is not the end of the disciples' association with Jesus. He will surely leave them very soon, but they are to continue on the way of discipleship. In today’s Gospel passage Jesus says to them, “I give you a new commandment: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.” This is an example-based and reciprocal love commandment and this is Jesus' legacy to his disciples; and this is Jesus’ legacy to us too.

So, what is 'new' about Jesus' commandment? In order to glean the radical quality of Christ’s 'new' command, we must be able to grasp the true depth of his love:

The Hebrew Testament tells us 'to love God with our whole heart and soul and so on; and to love our neighbors as ourselves.' Jesus has added a new element in telling us that the true test of discipleship is to love other people in the same way “as” he has loved us. Here, Jesus himself has given the measure of his love for his disciples which includes us too. This is really to love without measure as he had shown it on the cross when he gave his life for our redemption - which is sacrificing and self emptying love. And we might remember that this event speaks of the greatest possible love that a person can show; i.e. by letting go of one’s very life for others. Also, this kind of love is not selective. Neither does it depend on love received. He offers it freely to everyone. His is an all embracing, universal love.

Actually, there is an enormous significance in the fact that Jesus called his 'a new commandment.' The mandate is part of the new covenant, and new economy of salvation and represents a departure from the old covenant which confined love to one’s neighbor; i.e. to another Israelite, or to resident aliens. Jesus’ new commandment calls for an unconditional love - without limits, qualifications or prerequisites.

Finally, Jesus also says to them, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples: if you have love for one another.” Love is not only the mark or characterization of Christian discipleship, it is also its primary task. In accordance with the 'new' testament of Jesus, as he was about to offer his life-giving sacrifice on the cross, Christians must live out the call to fraternal charity. This is the sign of the Christian in the world, the irrefutable, immediately verifiable proof of Christian identity.

The Newly-formed Communities...

In the First Reading of today, we continue to hear from the Acts of the Apostles, which describes the early Church and its activities in the years following the Resurrection of Jesus. Today's text is an account of the completion of the 'first missionary voyage' of the Apostles Paul and Barnabas in the Mediterranean area, mandated by the Church of Syrian Antioch. They are now retracing their steps back home. Along the way, they pay a pastoral visit to Churches that they had founded and formed. There is a 'newness' in the newly-formed communities in the early Church:

Firstly, we see that the new commandment of love was at work in the heart of Paul and Barnabas as they were willing to be persecuted for the sake of the Gospel. Having already experienced sufferings and rejection, the Apostles tell the Christians that suffering is part and parcel of their lives. They urge them to shine in a service of love in the Lord Jesus. Their mutual love included encouraging the new converts, and setting up a structure of 'elders' as leaders to direct the believers in the early Church and to ensure continuity with the faith. With prayer and fasting, they entrust them to the Lord in whom they had come to believe. This description of the early Christian community will be repeated in the Acts of the Apostles, “See how they love one another.” Loving one another is the hallmark of Christianity.

Secondly, we see the inclusion of the Gentiles in the early Church. The Apostles started preaching the Gospel to the Jews first, in their synagogues. But then Gentiles too started accepting the word of God and believing in Jesus and his message. The evangelist Luke summed up what happened through the entire ministry of Paul and Barnabas on this first evangelizing tour—“all that God had done with them”—in the following terms, “God had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles.” Christianity is fundamentally an inclusive faith for everyone. And here in Acts the inclusive circle gets bigger and bigger, going from the Jews to the Gentiles.

A New Heaven and a New Earth...., The New Jerusalem...

The Second Reading of today from the Book of Revelation is one that is very familiar to many of us because it is often read at funerals. In this John presents us with a vision of the end times, indicated in a new heaven and a new earth when all the enemies of God will be destroyed. It is the glorious arrival of the long awaited “salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah.” The old order will pass away and the sea (the place of chaos and evil) will be no more.

In this new order, God is imaged as one living in the midst of his people - loving them and they loving him. The reading says, “The home of God is among mortals.” We hear those beautiful words which are reminiscent of God’s promises to the Israelite people during the time of Abraham and Moses - “I will dwell with them and they will be my people and I will dwell with them always as their God.” Also, the New Jerusalem is imaged as the Bride of the Risen Christ, which is the Church. The presence of the bride groom, Risen Jesus himself, is a sign of joy. God promises that he will make all things new in Jesus and all the old will be taken away.

Again, we have the verses that help us to get through the sorrow of death. Once we have passed on from this life and we have entered the Heavenly Kingdom of God, we will have become immortal. God promises he will wipe away every tear, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, and all things will be made new. Instead, they will only experience glory, happiness and peace. We know that this has already happened through the death and resurrection of Jesus – that kingdom has been established and everything has been made new, and we await now for the completion of that event.

Perhaps the key that best unlocks the symbolism of this particular vision is the divine proclamation, “Behold, I make all things new!” This promised newness reprized the prophecy of Isaiah, “Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new!” For Isaiah’s contemporaries, 'something new' meant a return home, geographically to Judah after the exile in Babylon and spiritually to God. Memories of past sorrows would soon fade before the shining joy of a new beginning. For John’s contemporaries, 'something new' meant an end to persecution and the beginning of a new and glorious life, which is the culmination of the 'new love commandment' of Jesus.

Today Jesus also says to us, “A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE TO YOU – 'LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.'” The challenge of this teaching is enormous. Do we carry this central teaching into our lives? Do we give support to our fellow disciples and share our faith and our love with as many people as possible? It is through this constant love-centered interaction among each other that the 'new earth, the new heaven and the new Jerusalem' can begin to come into existence – not at some unknown future time and in some other place but here and now. Today. It is in our hands. All we have to do is follow the lead of Jesus the Lord, who is our perfect example.

To conclude: There is a story about a man who had a huge boulder in his front yard. He grew weary of this big, unattractive stone in the center of his lawn. He decided to take advantage of it and turn it into an object of art. He went to work on it with hammer and chisel, and chipped away at the huge boulder until it became a beautiful stone elephant. When he was finished it was gorgeous. It was breath-taking.

A neighbor asked, "How did you ever carve such a marvelous likeness of an elephant?"

The man answered, "I just chipped away everything that didn't look like an elephant!"

Let us then today if we have anything in our life right now that doesn't look like love, with the help of God, chip it away! If we have anything in our life that doesn't look like compassion, mercy, or empathy, then, with the help of God, let us chip it away! If we have hatred, prejudice, vengeance, or envy in our heart, for God's sake, for the sake of others, and for our sake, let us get rid of it! Let God chip everything out of our lives that doesn't look like love. And this is the Good News of today.

                                                       

 

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Homily - 4th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

4^th Sunday of Easter (Year C)

                                     (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY)

First Reading: Acts 13:14, 43-52       Second Reading: Revelation 7:9, 14b-17       Gospel Reading: John 10:27-30

“WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, THE SHEEP OF HIS FLOCK.”

 

Some years ago, a renowned actor was asked at a drawing-room function to recite for the pleasure of his fellow guests. He consented and asked if there was anything they specially wanted to hear. After a minute's pause, an old minister asked for 'Psalm 23.' A strange look came over the actor's face. He paused for a moment, then said, “I will, on one condition – that after I have recited it, you, my friend, will do the same.”

“I!” said the preacher in surprise, “I am not an elocutionist, but, if you wish it, I shall do so.”

Impressively, the actor began the Psalm - “The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want...” His voice and intonation were perfect. He held his audience spellbound, and, as he finished, a great burst of applause broke from his guests. As it died away, the old minister rose and began to declaim the same Psalm. His voice was not remarkable, his tone was not faultless, but, when he finished, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The actor rose and his voice quivered as he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I reached your eyes and ears – he has reached your hearts. The difference is just this – 'I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.'”

Today is the 4th Sunday of Easter and traditionally we celebrate it as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” and think in a special way of the ‘pastoral’ love of God. Each year, the Gospel Reading of today is chosen from Chapter 10 of St. John's Gospel, where Jesus speaks of himself as the “Good Shepherd.” Today, in fact, we listen to the third and concluding part of that Chapter.

In recent times, this day has also become known as “Vocations Sunday,” a day on which prayers should be said for vocations to the priesthood and religious life; priests are the ‘pastors’ of the Church.

All the three Scripture Readings of today are well connected in themes. Actually, we have three distinct themes interwoven through them that bind them together:

I. Jesus the Good Shepherd...

The very loving and beautiful image of the shepherd and his sheep is very old in Scripture. However, like all scriptural images, it is not to be taken too literally or in its totality. The emphasis, of course, in the Scripture images is on the shepherd. The image implies someone who gives loving, caring & compassionate leadership. It is a situation where there is mutual recognition between shepherd and sheep, where there is voluntary following and total trust. The sheep listen to and recognize the voice of their shepherd and that is why they continue to follow him rather than another.

The Gospel reading proclaimed in this Sunday’s liturgy is very brief, but extremely rich in content. In the short and beautiful few lines from the Gospel of St. John, we come in vital contact with Jesus the Good Shepherd, who answers our most profound human longings and intense spiritual needs. 'Eternal life' is the Good Shepherd’s most beautiful gift to us, the flock he shepherds. We are heartened by his declaration, “I give them eternal life.”

The Shepherd’s gift of eternal life demands a positive response from the recipients. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” The interpersonal 'knowledge' that exists between them necessitates receptivity in listening and obedience in following after Jesus, the Good Shepherd. To hear is to recognize the authority and importance of the speaker’s words; it is to enter into communion with him, to put oneself under his guidance, to follow him, to attach oneself to him, to become his disciple. “We are his people, the sheep of his flock.”

The finale of the discourse on the Good Shepherd returns succinctly to the bond that unites the sheep and their intimate union with the one who leads them. But it is not a mere repetition of what we already know. As a matter of fact, with the last sentence we reach a high point in Jesus’ revelation about himself and his relation to the Father. Indeed, today’s Gospel proclamation contains an astounding Christological revelation: “The Father and I are one.” With these final words, Jesus makes it clear that, in his role as ‘shepherd,’ he identifies himself with “The Shepherd” who is the God of Israel – full expression of the Father’s being. This is the basis for the life-giving pastoral ministry of Jesus. The profound mystery of unity between the Father and his Son Jesus, the victorious paschal Lamb, is the source of the latter’s incomparable power and unimpeachable authority as the Good Shepherd. To the obedient and loving flock of disciples, whom he knows intimately, Jesus gives the solemn assurance of divine protection.

In the Second Reading of today, as part of his vision, St. John sees all the people he has just described before the throne of God, and uses a mixed metaphor to describe Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb who was slain, but he is also the Shepherd who takes care of the other sheep. He leads them to a place where they will not hunger or thirst, and brings them to life-giving water, where they will have every tear wiped away.

II. Inclusion of Gentiles into the Flock...

The second major theme around which today’s readings revolve is the movement in the early Church to include the Gentiles, the non-Jews, into the growing Christian community. Jesus becomes the Savior of all – both of the Jews and the Gentiles, and his ‘salvation reaches the ends of the earth.’ Of course, “We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” The first two readings complement this affirmation, by celebrating the universal nature of the flock of Jesus the Good Shepherd.

The Acts of the Apostles describes what happens to the Apostles and disciples in the years following the Resurrection of Jesus. In the First Reading, we have a brief description of the evangelical work of Paul in Antioch and Pisidia along with Barnabas during the first missionary journey. They first went to the Jewish community and preached to them, but many rejected their message. So, Paul and Barnabas moved towards the Gentiles who began to believe in Jesus and his message, and continued to join them in large numbers. This infuriated the Jewish leaders of Antioch, who were filled with jealousy and spoke derisively against them. They even incited the people to persecute them. But Paul was not afraid to tell them that it was true that God’s word was spoken to Jews first, but that most Jews were blind to the fulfillment of that Word in Jesus, so God opened up Jesus’ message to the Gentiles. Paul also saw in the Scriptures a Biblical basis for what he was doing with realization that the centuries-old prophecy of Isaiah was being fulfilled: “I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.” But the Antiochan Jews began to work to get rid of Paul and his followers. This forced the Apostles to leave and go to another city to continue their work. Despite this, we are told, they were still filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

In the Second Reading of today, we are also given a vision of St. John, in which the Gentiles have become part of the chosen people of God: “A great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people and tongue.” Surely we all want to belong to that 'huge number' of martyr-witnesses who have identified their lives with that of the Lamb, Jesus, who offered himself in love for the world. Let all of us join with Jesus so that we and others will never hunger or thirst again, nor be plagued by sun or scorching wind but be led to the springs of living water where God will wipe away all tears from our eyes.

All these passages show that Jesus brings salvation to all. He is the Good Shepherd and we all belong to his flock. He belongs to all. He is for everybody. He is for you and for me.

III. Vocation to Priesthood and Consecrated Life...

Today is also “World Day of Prayer for Vocations,” a day when Christians are invited to reflect on the meaning of God’s call and to pray that they may answer the call to dedicate their lives to serve the Church in a special way, i.e. to shepherd the Church communities, particularly as pastors and religious. To help us reflect on the meaning of the priestly vocation, the Church presents to us in today’s gospel the figure of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Last Sunday we saw that Our Lord commissioned and gave charge to Peter, by saying three times, “Feed my sheep.” In that way he made Peter a shepherd, a pastor. Our Lord continues his work of shepherding his people through Peter and his co-workers: the apostles and disciples, and through their successors: the Pope, the bishops, priests, deacons, catechists, and committed lay people.

The first thing we need to say on this day is that every single person here has a vocation, every single person here has been and is being called by God through the Holy Spirit to offer their special gifts to the rest of the community. Therefore, “Vocations Sunday” is not for a few selected, it is for all of us here. On the one hand, each one needs to reflect on what my particular calling is and how I can respond to it for the well-being of the whole parish community. Secondly, I need to help and not be an obstacle to others in responding to the particular calling or grace that God through his Spirit is giving them. If we all actively responded to that call what a wonderful community we would be! For, “We are his people, the sheep of his flock.”

This is the “Year of Faith,” and the retired Pope Benedict has written a message that coincides with the theme of today. He considers 'Vocations as a sign of hope founded in faith,' and tells us that God continues to call people to work in the vineyard and that we must continue to pray and trust in our ultimate hope - which is God himself. In his message the Holy Father further says, 'Vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life are born out of the experience of a personal encounter with Christ, out of sincere and confident dialogue with him, so as to enter into his will. It is necessary, therefore, to grow in the experience of faith, understood as a profound relationship with Jesus, as inner attentiveness to his voice which is heard deep within us.' Surely, this extract from the message of Pope Benedict will resonate with vocations personnel and those interested in answering the call of the Lord in faith.

Today, as we celebrate “Good Shepherd Sunday,” let us ask the Lord that we may be his good sheep, listening attentively to his voice, and follow his example of self-giving love.

Let us also pray for all our shepherds in the Church and society who are given the responsibility of caring for others. May they follow the example of Jesus who shows his concern and care for his own sheep and was willing to serve and lay down his life for his sheep.

Today is also “Vocation Sunday.” We need more pastoral shepherds for our parish communities. Let us pray then for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, that more people will consider whether they are being called to join the ranks of priest-shepherds or to the dedicated life of brothers and sisters.

Finally, we are challenged to realize the universal character of the flock of Jesus the Good Shepherd, by accepting one another lovingly and without prejudice and by serving the needs of all others without discrimination. Let us bear in mind always that “WE ARE HIS PEOPLE, THE SHEEP OF HIS FLOCK,” and earnestly pray that we all be one in HIM. And this is the Good News of today.

 

 

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