SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

4TH SUNDAY OF EASTER - MAY 8, 2022

Readings: • Acts 13:14, 43–52. • Ps 100:1–3, 5
• Rev 7:9, 14b–17 • Jn 10:27–30

REFLECTION 1
HOMILY STARTER ANECDOTES
#I: “I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd:” Years ago the great
actor Richard Burton was given a grand reception in his childhood parish.
While replying to the complimentary speeches in the parish auditorium he
asked if there was anything, they specially wanted to hear from him. After a
minute’s pause his old pastor asked him if he could recite the Good Shepherd
Psalm (Psalm 23), which he had taught Burton in his Sunday school. A
strange look came over the actor’s face. He paused for a moment, and then
said, “I will, on one condition—that after I have recited it, you, my pastor and
teacher, will do the same.” “I,” said the old, retired pastor, “am not an actor,
but, if you wish it, I shall do so.” Impressively the actor began the Psalm. His
voice and intonation were perfect. He held his audience spellbound, and, as
he finished, a great burst of applause broke from the audience. As it died
away, the old pastor rose from his wheelchair and began to recite the same
Psalm. His voice was feeble and shivering and 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, but my old pastor has reached your hearts. The difference is just this: I
know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.” — This Good Shepherd
Sunday, Jesus wants us to know him by experiencing him and to become
good shepherds to those entrusted to our care.

#2: “Who’s running the Church, you or the Holy Spirit?” Here is an
anecdote that perfectly conveys the humble spirit of Pope St. John XXIII as a
good shepherd. On the evening when he announced the opening of the
Second Vatican Council — the first one since 1870 — he couldn’t sleep.
Finally, he called himself to order: “Angelo, why aren’t you sleeping? Who’s
running the Church, you or the Holy Spirit? So sleep.” And he did. Prior to his
being elected Pope, Angelo Roncalli had served as a clerical diplomat in
Bulgaria, Turkey, and Greece; as Papal Nuncio in Paris; and as Patriarch of
Venice. All this training helped him deal with social problems in society and
in the Church. While still an Archbishop, he noted: “Wherever I go, I pay more
attention to what we have in common than to what separates us.” Pope St.
John XXIII began his mission by promising to be “a good shepherd.” He
brought a real revolution to the Apostolic Palace by getting rid of the three
prescribed genuflections in private audiences and by his impromptu
conversations with workers and gardeners on the streets of Vatican City. He
was the first Pope in history “to pay tribute to the part played by women in
public life and to the growing awareness of their human dignity.” Best of all,
by convening the Second Vatican Council, Pope St. John XXIII, led by the Holy
Spirit, set in motion a spirit of reform that continues to our day. — In
September of 2000, this son of Italian peasants was beatified by Pope St. John
Paul II; he was canonized by Pope Francis on April 27, 2014.

#3: “LEAD, FOLLOW OR GET OUT OF THE WAY.” On a recent highway trip,
one bumper sticker in particular grabbed my eye and caused me to consider
its frank command: “LEAD, FOLLOW, OR GET OUT OF THE WAY.” — In a
sense, the Scripture readings for today, Good Shepherd Sunday, proffer the
same challenge to believers. Christianity admits of no mediocrity; the
decision of Faith which discipleship demands requires a daily deliberateness
and a constantly renewed certainty. Either Jesus and his way of life are
accepted and followed, or they are rejected. There is no middle path; to live
otherwise is to become an obstacle in the way of others. As Christians, each
of us is called to be both a leader and a follower. Ultimately, as John points
out in the Gospel, our leader is Jesus, the loving shepherd who calls us away
from sin and self to union with him and one another. (Sanchez Files)

INTRODUCTION:
The fourth Sunday of Easter, known as Good Shepherd Sunday, is also the
“World Day of Prayer for Vocations.” The Scripture lessons for this day
concern the role of the shepherds of God’s flock in the Church. Each year on
this Sunday, we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd who
devotedly and kindly takes care of his flock. One pastor recently made the
joking remark that some people think that their pastor works only on
Sundays! This is obviously untrue. Exactly what responsibilities does God
give a pastor and what does God expect of him besides saying Mass and
preaching? The answer to the question lies in the title “pastor,” which means
shepherd. A shepherd leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects
his flock—responsibilities that belong to every Church leader. The earliest
Christians saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient Jewish dream of the
Good Shepherd, Who also wished to include the Gentiles as part of God’s
flock. Today’s first reading describes how Paul and Barnabas opted to listen
to the voice of Jesus the Good Shepherd and follow him, and how, like their
Master, they were rebuffed and rejected when they tried to share the Good
News of salvation. It also suggests that the sympathy of the early Christians
for the Gentiles caused a rupture with Judaism. Today’s Responsorial Psalm
(Ps 100) reminds us that “…the Lord is God: He made us, His we are – His
people, the flock He tends.” The second reading, taken from the book of
Revelation, depicts Jesus as both the glorified Lamb and the Shepherd. John’s
vision encourages his readers with the assurance that every person who has
ever followed Christ and led others to him and who has suffered rejection
and persecution will also know the unending joy of victory and have a share
in everlasting life. The Gospel text offers us both great comfort and a great
challenge. The comforting message is that no one can snatch the sheep out
of Jesus’ Father’s hands. The challenge is that pastors should be good
shepherds to those entrusted to their care., and their flock, the laity, should
be good sheep, obedient and helpful to their shepherds.

The first reading: Acts 13:14, 43-52, explained:

Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary journey to Asia Minor
(present day Turkey). On the Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas entered the
synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia where they were invited to give a word of
exhortation to the people. They explained that since Christ had been rejected
by the Jews, Christians were obliged to preach the Gospel to all the nations,
thus emphasizing the universal mission of Christianity. In other words, since
the Jews had rejected the word of God, it was being offered to the Gentiles.
But those Jews in Antioch who opposed the idea of preaching to the Gentiles
gathered enough support to expel the apostles from their territory.
Nevertheless, Paul and Barnabas remained faithful to the Gospel that Jesus
had revealed. They “were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” and continued
to preach to the Gentiles who welcomed them with delight (v. 48). The
mission of the Church is indeed a continuation of the ministry of salvation
begun by Jesus. Is the seed of the Gospel still being sown to the ends of the
earth? Are the poor, the blind, the deaf, the lame, the hungry, the thirsty, the
lost, and the imprisoned still the primary focus of our service?

The second reading: Rv 7:9, 14-17, explained:

The book of Revelation, the vision Jesus gave to St. John the Evangelist, to be
written down, was meant to instruct and encourage persecuted Christians,
not only of the First Century but of all centuries. The Vision presents Jesus as
both the slain and glorified Lamb and the Good Shepherd. In the latter role,
he protects and refreshes his flock when they suffer persecution. John has a
vision of all the sheep, representing the universal Church — people “from
every nation, race, people, and tongue” rescued by the Good Shepherd. The
Lamb will shepherd and shelter those who, with his help, win through. He
will feed them well and will wipe “away every tear from their eyes.” The
essence of the vision is that Christ, the Son of the Living God Incarnate, now
risen from the dead, glorified, will, in his glorified humanity, have the chief
place in Heaven, and that all rational creatures will sing his praises forever.
John’s visions promised his readers that Jesus, the Passover Lamb, would
shepherd them, providing them with shelter, protection, and safe passage to
the life-giving waters of eternity (Ps 23; 80; 35:10; Is 40:11; Ez 34:23; Jer
2:13).

GOSPEL EXEGESIS:
The context: It was December, wintertime, probably the time of the Jewish
Hanukkah festival (the Feast of Dedication), which commemorated the
triumph of the Jewish commander Judas Maccabaeus over the Syrian leader
Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 165 BC). Jesus was walking in the Temple on the
east side, which offered protection against the cold winds from the desert.
The Jews had gathered around him. They were not sure whether or not he
was the promised Messiah because there were many such wandering
preachers and healers in those days. Hence, they asked him directly whether
he was the Christ. Instead of giving them an equally direct answer, Jesus
claimed that he was the Good Shepherd and explained to them his role.

Shepherds in the Old Testament: In 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 represents Yahweh several times as a Shepherd. The
prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel compare 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 represents God as a loving
Shepherd who searches diligently for the lost sheep. Psalm 23 is David’s
famous picture 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 soul” (RSV, 2nd Catholic Edition). The prophets
often used harsh words to scold the selfish and insincere shepherds (or
leaders) of their day. Jer 23:1: “Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock
of My pasture to be destroyed and scattered.” Ez 34:2: “Trouble for the
shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their
flock.”

The Good Shepherd in the New Testament: Introducing himself as the

Good Shepherd of his flock, Jesus makes three 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 the sheep knew their
shepherd and his voice, so Jesus knows each one of us, our needs, our merits,
and our faults. He loves us as we are, with all our limitations, and he expects
us to return his love by keeping his words. He speaks to us at every Mass,
through the Bible, through our pastors, through our parents, through our
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 to us in our
pain!” (C.S. Lewis). 2) He gives eternal life to us, his sheep by receiving us
into his sheepfold and giving us Faith through Baptism, and then he
strengthens that Faith in Confirmation. He supplies food for our souls in the
Holy Eucharist and in the Divine words of the Holy Bible. He makes our
society holy by the Sacraments of Matrimony and the priesthood (Holy
Orders. 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 an easy
prey for the spiritual wolves of this world, including Satan and his minions.

In chapter ten of John’s Gospel, Jesus adds two more roles to those of the
Good Shepherd. He goes in search of stray lambs and heals the sick ones.
Jesus heals the wounds of our souls through the Sacrament of Reconciliation
and strengthens us in illness and old age with the Sacrament of the Anointing
of the Sick. 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.

Through today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches one of the central aspects of the
ministerial priesthood: the priest as shepherd. It means that a priest is one
who, by his consecration, lives for others. The title, “Father”, like the title,
“Shepherd,” expresses a relation of loving service to others in everything,
from the most sacred ministries to the most trivial chores.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Today is also “World Day of Prayer for
Vocations.” It is 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 in their parishes and as superiors in
their religious orders or congregations. The Church presents to us in today’s
Gospel the figure of Jesus the Good Shepherd that we may reflect on the
meaning of the religious vocation to priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated
life. Last Sunday we reflected on Our Lord’s commission and charge to Peter,
saying once, “Feed my lambs,” and twice, “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
remember is that every single person here has a vocation! Each person here,
whatever one’s state in life, has been, and is being, called by God through the
Holy Spirit to offer one’s special gifts to benefit the rest of the community.
Therefore, “Vocations Sunday” is not just for a few selected for directly
religious vocations, it is for all of us here. On the one hand, each one needs to
reflect on what one’s particular calling is and how one can respond to it for
the well-being of the whole parish community. Secondly, one needs to help
others, and not be an obstacle to them as they respond to the particular
calling and graces that God through his Spirit is giving one. If we will all
actively respond to that call what a wonderful community, we will be! For,
“We are his people, the sheep of his flock.”
LIFE MESSAGES:
Let us become good shepherds and good sheep, good leaders and good
followers.

1) Let us become good shepherds: Everyone who is entrusted with the

care of others is a shepherd. Hence, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors,
nurses, government officials, etc. are all shepherds. 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, thus
giving their children good example through the way they live their Christian
lives as husband and wife and as parents.

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, assisted by
their Deacons, are their helpers and the parishioners are the sheep. Hence,
as the good sheep of the parish, parishioners are expected to a) hear and
follow the voice of their shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes,
counseling, and advice; b) receive the spiritual food our pastors provide by
regular participation in the Holy Mass, by frequenting the Sacraments, and
by attending prayer services, renewal programs, and missions; c) cooperate
with our pastors by giving them positive suggestions for the welfare of the
parish, by encouraging them in their duties, by lovingly offering them
constructive criticism when they are found misbehaving or failing in their
duties, by praying for them always and forgiving them at need; and d)
cooperate with our fellow-parishioners in the activities of various councils,
ministries, and parish associations.

3) Let us pray for generous responses to all the vocations God offers men
to enter the priesthood, the diaconate, the mission fields, and all the
vocations God offers both men and women to enter the consecrated life, so
that we may have more good shepherds to lead, feed, and protect the
Catholic community here an abroad. Let us remember that the duty of
fostering vocations is the concern of the whole believing community, and we
discharge that responsibility primarily by living exemplary Christian lives.
Parents foster vocations by creating a God-centered climate in homes based
on solid Christian values. They should pray with their children for vocations
during the family prayer time and speak encouraging words about their
pastors, the missionaries, and the religious, instead of criticizing these
servants of God. Such an atmosphere in the family will definitely foster
vocations from such families. Financial support of seminarians is also a
positive contribution to promoting vocations.

JOKE OF THE WEEK

#1: The young pastor was teaching the 23rd Psalm to the Sunday school
children. He told them that they were sheep who needed guidance. Then the
priest asked, “If you are the sheep, then who is the shepherd?”– obviously
indicating himself. A silence of a few seconds followed. Then a young boy
said, “Jesus. Jesus is the Shepherd.” The young priest, obviously caught by
surprise, said to the boy, “Well then, who am I?” The boy frowned
thoughtfully and then said, “I guess you must be a sheep dog.”

#2: A man in an Armani suit, Ferragamo shoes, the latest Polarized

sunglasses and a tightly knotted power tie emerges from his shiny silver
BMW, approaches a shepherd guarding his flock, and proposes a wager:
“Will you give me one of your sheep, if I can tell you the exact number in this
flock?” The shepherd accepts. “973,” says the man. The shepherd,
astonished at the accuracy, says, “I’m a man of my word; take the sheep you
have won.” The man picks a sheep and begins to walk away. “Wait,” cries
the shepherd, “Let me have a chance to get even. Will you return my animal
if I tell what your job is?” “Sure,” replies the man. “You are an economist for
a government think-tank,” says the shepherd. “Amazing!” responds the man,
“How did you deduce that?” “Well,” says the shepherd, “you drove into my
field uninvited. You asked me to pay you for information I already know,
answered questions I haven’t asked, and you know nothing about my
business. Now put down MY DOG!”
https://frtonyshomilies.com

REFLECTION 2
“MY SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE; I KNOW THEM, AND THEY FOLLOW ME.”
Jesus is our Good Shepherd. He left the paradise of Heaven to seek out and
save us who are lost sheep, who have mired ourselves in our sins. The entire
Season of Easter is about celebrating Christ’s victory over sin and death. But
on this Fourth Sunday of Easter in particular, we reflect on what this means
for you and me on a daily basis. The Fourth Sunday of Easter is traditionally
called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” This name stems from today’s Gospel
passage, taken from the tenth chapter of John. We Christians, although
justified in the Sacrament of Baptism, continue throughout our lives to stray
from God. We need the Good Shepherd each day.

For the sake of our need, the Good Shepherd reveals Himself to us today not
only through the Gospel Reading. He also proclaims who He is in the
responsorial psalm: “Know that the Lord is God; / He made us, His we are; /
His people, the flock He tends.”

We need to ponder the words of this psalm. After all, we don’t usually think
of a shepherd as having “made” “the flock He tends.” A shepherd might be
involved in bringing together the ram and ewe that actually “make” sheep,
but how could you say that a shepherd “makes” his flock? But that’s what the
Bible says in today’s responsorial psalm. The unusual fact that this Shepherd
“made us” reveals our destiny, which is a loftier destiny than most sheep. For
your average sheep, its destiny is to provide wool, mutton, and milk. The
sheep is a means towards protection from the elements and nourishment.
But it’s foolish to think of us as sheep along these lines, because God needs
neither protection nor nourishment. So that begs the question: why are the
images of the Shepherd and His flock fitting to describe God and us? What
are we for? For what end did this Shepherd make us? In the venerable King
James translation of Psalm 23, we hear: He maketh me to lie down in green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he
leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Here is why this
Good Shepherd made us. “For His Name’s sake” He made us: for His sake, not
for our own sake. He made us for His life in Heaven, not for earth.
Unfortunately, too often, you and I not only live in this world. We live for this
world, and for ourselves, as well. The imagery of the Twenty-third Psalm
evokes the reality of God’s life in Heaven: “green pastures,” “still waters,” a
table prepared by the Lord, and a cup that “runneth over.”

There’s a stark contrast here. On the one hand are the natural differences
between God and us fallen sinners. On the other hand are the tender
intimacy that the Shepherd has for, and wants for, His flock. This is a
closeness that we don’t deserve, but that the Shepherd desires for us. The
Good Shepherd will go to great extremes for His flock. He will give up His life
for His sheep. In the same chapter that today’s Gospel passage comes from,
Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd . . . just as the Father knows me and I
know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep” (Jn 10:14-15). But
Jesus will do even more.

In today’s second reading, from the Book of Revelation, we hear St. John the
Evangelist describe a vision that he had. He points out that “‘the Lamb who
is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of
life-giving water’.” In fact, three times in today’s second reading — and forty
times in the entire Book of Revelation — the word lamb is used by St. John.
But in this sentence from today’s second reading, he uses this word in an
unusual way. This “lamb” is also a “shepherd”: “the Lamb who is in the center
of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving
water.”

This “lamb,” of course, is the Risen Jesus. This lamb is our Good Shepherd,
the God who chose not only to become man, but also to offer His Body and
Blood along with His soul and divinity on the Cross for you. This crucified
and risen God-man is a sheep like you, but also your divine shepherd. Here
is the source from which we must draw the strength to live the Christian life
of self-sacrifice. That strength is our Good Shepherd, who became the Lamb
of God to take away your sins, and who calls you to the fullness of His Supper.
- FR. THOMAS HOISINGTON.

REFLECTION 3
In this gospel of friendship, in John’s gospel, it is a friend only who realizes
or reveals the identity of Christ. This friend, he knows the patterns of the
Lord’s mind: his generosity, his mercy. Just as, at the catching of so numerous
an amount of fish from the gospel of last week, the friend very decidedly, or
matter-of-factly, says, “It is the Lord.” Indeed: he is not for a moment in
doubt; he acknowledges it to Peter, having remembered, having recalled the
Christ’s generosity and abundance. It is characteristic of Christ to be so
overflowing, so generous. It has become his signature or trademark.
Nevertheless, it takes a friend to see it — to recognize the Christ, to read the
contours of his mind, and see the personality behind the words, behind the
actions. It is in this spirit that Christ says: “They know my voice; I know them,
and they follow me.”
We experience this with people we love most. We know how to read a
gesture, a tone, a slight motion. It is more than just being able to read body
language; it’s knowing how to interpret accurately and exactly what we see
or hear in a given situation. It is reading the other within the context of that
other’s entire life. What gives us such accuracy, such interpretative power,
except this intimate experience, this experience of other who has become
“another self,” a friend? It is essential for interpreting all our friend’s
behaviors, this key. While others might be apt to misinterpret, being without
the interpretative key, we are not inclined toward misinterpretation; yes, we
read things aright. We say things like: “Yes, but I know him,” “I know her,”
“He’s my friend.”

Something happens when we read Scripture. We are meant to become

acquainted with Christ, with his personality, his mind, in the way we become
acquainted with people at the beginning of friendship. Indeed, they teach us,
don’t they, how to interpret who they are, what they say, what they do.
Without the key, friendship is not possible. Rather, misinterpretation follows
on misinterpretation, and hidden misunderstanding, like a yawning grap,
grows. One can go a whole life committed to such false interpretations; one
can live alongside another for a great amount of time, and still not
understand, still not know that person, still read that person falsely. It is
tragedy when it happens between brothers, between family, between
spouses; but every time, it is born of the same sickness: a resistance in us to
seeing the whole person. The temptation is always to see in part only.

For us Christians, the beloved disciple is the role we are cast into. We must
step into the part of the beloved disciple from these stories; we must
presume an intimacy with Christ, our dearest friend; we must search for the
generosities that surround us in order to point out, to ourselves and each
other, Christ’s handiwork in our lives, in order to interpret his largesse, to
foretell his donation, in the midst of life. This friendship enables us to
interpret, not only the sacred scriptures, but also the world. It becomes the
fundamental and only hermeneutic: the lens through which everything is
seen. Friendship with Christ is the fundamental key; it is the lens through
which everything must be measured, weighed, interpreted. We must each
become beloved disciples — friends — of Christ, so that, in the midst of our
own lives, we too can say with confidence and certainty, wherever we are, in
whatever experience: “It is the Lord.” And Christ too will say: “They know
me; I know them.”
-FR. ADRIAN MCCAFFERY.
REFLECTION 4
JESUS DESCRIBES HIS CARE FOR HIS SHEEP.
The fourth Sunday of Easter is also called Good Shepherd Sunday. In each of
the three lectionary cycles, the Gospel is taken from the tenth chapter of the
Gospel of John. This chapter of John's Gospel follows Jesus' healing of the
man born blind and the rejection of this miracle by Jewish leaders who
question Jesus' authority to heal. Jesus responds to this challenge to his
authority by calling himself the Good Shepherd. He is criticizing the
Pharisees and other Jewish leaders. Already, the Pharisees and other Jewish
leaders are so angered that they attempt to stone and arrest Jesus (see John
10:31 and 10:39). This controversy with the religious leaders continues until
Jesus' death.

Set in a moment of tension and conflict in John's Gospel, today's Gospel

reading is Jesus' answer to the question, “Are you the Messiah?” Jesus
responds by saying, in essence, “If you have to ask, then you are not one of
my sheep.” Then Jesus asserts his unity with the Father. At the conclusion of
these words, John reports that the Jews intend to stone Jesus for blasphemy,
but he escapes arrest.

We may be less familiar with the metaphors of sheep and shepherd than
those to whom Jesus spoke. The image of Jesus as Good Shepherd and the
community of followers as his sheep has endured over the centuries as a
primary image in our faith tradition. Its power to describe the relationship
between Jesus and his followers transcends direct experience with sheep.
The image speaks to us about the protection, security, and care that
shepherds represent for their sheep.

Today's Gospel speaks powerfully about the familiarity and intimacy

between Jesus and his disciples, expressed as recognizing and knowing
another's voice. Today's Gospel also speaks to the relationship between
Jesus and the Father. In the Gospel of John, Jesus identifies so closely with
the Father that he tells us that they are one—not just close, but actually one.
To know Jesus is to know the Father. Jesus doesn't just bring us closer to the
Father, Jesus puts us directly into contact with God the Father, removing all
distance between us. Our relationship with Jesus is an invitation to share in
the life of God.
https://www.loyolapress.com/
REFLECTION 5
PETER’S INSPIRING FAITH
Through the Easter season the risen Christ brings life to what seemed dead
within us, to make our faith blossom again. We can have a kind of spiritual
rebirth, like the woman in Lydda who was revived by St Peter in today’s story
from the Acts. Her name was Dorcas and her spirit of charity and compassion
had endeared her to many, especially the widows and the needy. They felt
her loss keenly, and of course were delighted to have her back among them,
alive and well.

“It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh cannot do so,” said Jesus. “The words
I spoke to you are spirit and life.” When others began to move away from
Jesus, unsure about what kind of way he was leading them, Peter made it
clear that he would stay. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life.” If we decide to follow Peter’s example, we must trust that Jesus
really does point the way to union with God. His words and his spirit can
achieve what is beyond the power of human nature. “It is the spirit that gives
life; the flesh cannot do so.”

Peter’s efforts to bring the faith to the wider world are reflected in the Acts
of the Apostles, showing how he often had the power to work miracles. What
part can we ordinary people play in carrying on Peter’s ministry of
encouragement and healing? We may find practical ways of helping others,
as Dorcas did, finding ways to help the poor, speaking out on behalf of justice,
or just listening with empathy to our neighbour’s ailments. If we are
sometimes challenged to go beyond our comfort zone and attempt what
seems impossible, let’s remember that “It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh
cannot do so.

Jesus often asked his followers probing questions, to challenge the quality of
their faith.. During a critical time when many were falling away, he asked
them, ‘What about you, do you want to go away too?’ In the previous verses
many would-be followers had abandoned Jesus because he spoke about
eating his flesh and drinking his blood. Their turning their back on him
prompted Jesus to put his faithful few to the test: ‘Do you want to go away
too?’ He was probing, inviting them to make a personal commitment to stay
with him; for they were free to leave him like so many others.
The risen Lord also looks for commitment from us: ‘do you want to go away
too?’ In our modern world many have turned away from faith. So we each
need to make a more personal, deliberate decision about faith than was
required in the past. As we try to make that decision we can do no better
than to make Peter’s words our own: ‘Lord, you have the message of eternal
life, and we believe that you are the Holy One of God.’
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REFLECTION 6
HOPE AND REALISM
Fourth Sunday of Easter. Fr Robert Ombres preaches on Christ the Good
Shepherd. As Christians, when we face difficulties, we may well ask God to
remove them. But God’s loving providence could have other plans for our
lives. So in addition to praying that God’s grace will put an end to some
difficulty or suffering we may need to pray for God’s grace in our struggles
with those difficulties and that suffering. St Paul pleaded three times with
the Lord that the thorn in his flesh might be removed from him. He was told
by the Lord ‘my grace is enough for you’. His will be done, not ours.

This truth makes the Christian realistic about the human condition whilst
reliant on hope. One of the images that comforts us and keeps our hope alive
is that Christ is the good shepherd of us his flock. In today’s gospel Jesus
speaks of the sheep that belong to him and, just a few lines earlier in St John’s
gospel, Jesus describes himself precisely as the good shepherd. This image of
Christ as our shepherd means, and has meant, a lot to believers. In fact, one
of the earliest surviving objects decorated with Christian imagery is a clay
lamp showing Christ as shepherd. He carries a sheep on his shoulders and is
surrounded by other sheep.

Every believer needs hope, a vital and essential God-given virtue, because
being a Christian does not free us from difficulties and suffering. It may even
increase them, because in a fallen world fidelity and witness are likely to
come at a price. Think of Jesus’s own life. Nature does not flower into grace
automatically or from within by its own intrinsic capacities; we need, and we
have, a Saviour. With this perspective in mind, all three of today’s readings
stress the same basic point: goodness and virtue do not make their way
effortlessly.
In the gospel reading, Jesus tells us not only that he and his flock are bound
up with each other, but that some might want to steal the sheep to stop them
from following him. In the first reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, we see
Paul and Barnabas proclaiming the word of God, the word of grace and
salvation. Some reacted to this by trying to persuade listeners to turn against
Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. The glorious vision
in the Apocalypse sees a huge number, impossible to count, of people from
every nation, race, tribe and language in front of the throne of God. But adds,
significantly – these are the people who have come through the great
tribulation.

Genuine, strong Christian hope does not deny the need to be realistic. Hope
in fact exists to surmount obstacles and difficulties, and so requires a
realistic estimate about ourselves and about our world. We can be lulled into
complacent security believing that Christ is our good shepherd; we can be
messengers of good news only for as long as we have friendly listeners; we
can linger on a heavenly vision ignoring the tribulation that came before.

A few minutes away from the Oxford priory in which I write this homily is
the university church of St Mary the Virgin. There, as its vicar, St John Henry
Newman preached one of his most powerful sermons, The Ventures of Faith.
It is penetrating and demanding. He wished his listeners to ask themselves –
what have we ventured for Christ? He reflected that there is no truth,
however overpoweringly clear, but people may escape from it by shutting
their eyes; there is no duty, however urgent, but they may find ten thousand
good reasons against it, in their own case. They are sure to say, in hearing
such preaching, that we carry things too far, when we carry them home to
themselves.

Without being aware that there are those who would steal Christ’s sheep,
there will be no reliable security in having him as our shepherd. Without
being conscious that some would want us not to be heard, there will be no
lasting perseverance in telling the good news. Without knowing at what cost
some are in heavenly glory, we will not make risky ventures for Christ.
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, though we need to be
realistically aware that some events or people will test our hope.
-FR ROBERT OMBRES.