feasting on the word
"If you meditate on the Scriptures it will appear to you in its brilliant splendor." ―St. Pio of Pietrelcina
Fourth Sunday of Easter (B) Acts 4:8-12 | Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29 | 1 John 3:1-2 | John 10:11-18 We are in the fourth Sunday since the joy of Easter commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday” and is also known as The World Day of Prayer for Vocations. As we gather together as a family to celebrate the Lord’s Day, let us focus on doing good despite criticism, seeking union with God and finding safety and security in Jesus — the Good Shepherd. Roselio, operator of the letter sorting machine at the Manila Central Post Office finds an unstamped, poorly hand-written envelope, addressed to God. He opens it and discovers it is from Lola Pacing, an elderly living alone in Dapo settlement in Pandacan. She was distressed because all her cash subsidy from social welfare — ₱1,000 — have been stolen. She was literally cold, hungry and penniless. He organizes the postal workers, who dig deep and come up with ₱800 to donate. They get it to her by special courier the same morning. A week later, Roselio recognizes the same handwriting on another envelope. He opens it. "Dear God, Thank you for blessing me with ₱800 even in the midst of this pandemic. Now I can buy food and medicine. P.S. It was ₱200 short but that was probably those thieving workers at the Post Office." How do Christians answer their accusers? Criticism is never easy to accept, especially when we were trying to do something nice. It’s bad enough not to be appreciated for our acts of kindness; it’s even worse to be slandered! In the first reading, we get a taste of how is it to be a shepherd-leader in the person of Peter. He was spirit-filled. References to the Holy Spirit in Acts are noteworthy, as the Spirit guides, empowers and propels the Christian movement forward. The Holy Spirit guided Peter in his answer. He reminded his accusers that they were angry because he did a good deed. That should have caused them shame. Having been arrested for preaching the resurrection of the Lord after the healing of the cripple, Peter stood before the rulers, the elders and the scribes to account for their actions. He wasn't afraid to challenge his hearers. The eloquence of Peter the fisherman is really the eloquence of the Holy Spirit. He taught that they would have to choose about Jesus—to be his friends or his enemies. Germans have a saying, “Werde, was du bist” (Become what you are). When a reigning monarch has a child there appears to be no difference between that child and any other child. Both are fussy, have dirty diapers, throw temper tantrums, etc. But through years of patient training, exposure to “kingly” ways, role models and mentors, eventually there is a person who exhibits kingly attributes. In the same manner, we are children of the King but it takes time, effort, patience, and good role models before we become persons exhibiting kingly attributes. We have to “become what we are” — children of the King. In the Second Reading, John reminds his disciples of the depth of love of God the Father for us that results in our being called his children. Muhammed denied that we are children of Allah and in fact considered it blasphemous to claim to be such. Buddha didn’t even teach there was a God — he was agnostic. Jesus alone teaches that God the Creator wants to be our Father and offers us a way to become his children. Eventually we will see God face to face as he is in the life to come. We shall be glorified like the risen Christ and we shall see God as he is, not through the veil of faith as we see him now but in reality. Theologians have a name for this—beatific vision. As children of God we are not only called to see our radical dependence but to perceive the abundant inheritance that we are called to develop. We are reminded that we can never realize our own identity without embracing our fundamental belonging to God. We are made for union with God. During the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell, lord protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland during the republican Commonwealth (1653–58), sentenced a soldier to be shot for his crimes. The execution was to take place at the tolling of the evening curfew bell. However, the bell did not sound. The soldier's fiancé had climbed into the belfry and clung to the great clapper of the bell to prevent it from striking. When she was summoned by Cromwell to account for her actions, she wept as she showed him her bruised and bleeding hands. Cromwell's heart was touched and he said, "Your lover shall live because of your sacrifice. Curfew shall not ring tonight!" In the Gospel reading this weekend, Jesus himself gives the attributes of the good, ideal, authentic shepherd. He begins by making the distinction he is not merely a hired hand. The difference between the two has to do with commitment. One who is hired may not have the best interest of the sheep in mind. At some point when the job becomes too difficult or dangerous the hired hand quits. He finds a better job. But one who truly loves the sheep would never run away from them even when danger approaches. Jesus repeats the phrase "lay down my life" five times during his discourse about being the Good Shepherd. Essentially, he's saying, "I won't run out on you when dangers or problems arise. I will even give my life for you." Isn't that something all of us need to hear right now? Typically, a shepherd would not do this as the life of the shepherd is still seen as more valuable than that of the sheep. This is not the case here. Jesus does not hold his life as more valuable than ours. Relationships nowadays seem so fragile, so unstable. But Jesus says he is committed to us. He will not walk away when the going gets tough. Jesus always has our best interest in mind, even when all hope seems lost. Only through trust in his loving protection will we have the strength to persevere through any trial. He laid down his life for us. This is more than being a good shepherd. Jesus isn’t just a shepherd. He is truly an exceptional shepherd and there isn’t another shepherd like Him. <enrique,ofs>
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About JeffJeff Jacinto, PhD, DHum |