Sunday 21 April
2013
The 4th Sunday of
Easter C
Acts 13: 14. 43-52 .Psalm 99: 1-3. 5 Rv. 3. Apocalypse 7:9. 14-17. John
10:27-30
Paul and Barnabas urged them to
remain faithful to the grace of God
We are his people, the sheep of
his flock.
The Lamb will lead them to
springs of living water.
I know my sheep and I give them
eternal life.
____________________
First reading
Acts
13:14,43-52
Paul and Barnabas carried on from Perga
till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the
sabbath and took their seats. When the meeting broke up many Jews and devout
converts joined Paul and Barnabas and in their talks with them Paul and
Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.
The
next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they
saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and
contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We
had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it,
since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the
pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:
I have made you a light for the nations,
so that my salvation may reach the ends
of the earth.’
It made the pagans very happy to hear
this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for
eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the
whole countryside.
But
the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the
leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas
and expel them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in
defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and
the Holy Spirit.
Today in the Catholic Tradition
we call Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. However since he is
not visibly present in his community he anoints others to shepherd his flock
for him. Paul and Barnabas are excellent models of shepherds. They deeply loved
Christ and this is the first and essential condition. If we love Christ then we
will shepherd his flock, because his flock is dearest to Jesus. He gave his
life on the Cross for it.
Psalm
Psalm
99:1-3,5
We are his people, the sheep of his
flock.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the
earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
We are his people, the sheep of his
flock.
or
Alleluia!
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his
flock.
We are his people, the sheep of his
flock.
or
Alleluia!
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
We are his people, the sheep of his
flock.
or
Alleluia!
____________________
Second reading
Apocalypse
7:9,14-17
I, John, saw a huge number, impossible
to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were
standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white
robes and holding palms in their hands. One of the elders said, ‘These are the
people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have
washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in
front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One
who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger
or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them,
because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them
to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’
Here we get an idea of the numbers who
will be saved. The Father conceived this world in his heart and every person in
it. He loves each person beyond our capability of understanding. He will do
everything to save them even to the point of allowing his only Son to die on a
Cross. If we stay close to Jesus, then we can be assured that he will see that
we are saved.
Gospel
Acclamation
Jn10:14
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
____________________
Gospel
John
10:27-30
Jesus said:
‘The sheep that belong to me listen to
my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.
The Father who gave them to me is
greater than anyone,
and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.’
Jesus is our religion
“The sheep that belong to me listen to my
voice; I know them and they follow me.” Jesus is saying he has friends and
disciples and they are close to him. They have an intimate relationship. Those
close to him do only what pleases him. He loves them even to the point of
giving his life. His friends will never be lost because he will save them. He
has the same divine power as the Father.
Religion has no value without a personal
relationship of love with Jesus. Ours is not simply an organisation with rules
and regulations. Our religion is not a system of rituals, prayers and a moral
code that we must follow in order to save our souls.
One of the main
reasons for his violent death was that Jesus publicly criticised the formalism
of the Pharisees and the priests. They had made ‘the law’ central and it became
an end it itself. They had made ritual
the touchstone of religion. Jesus criticized and condemned this attitude.
We too may have fallen
into the same mistake as the priests. We have created an organisation with its
rules such as going to Mass on Sundays, fasting, abstinence, reception of
Sacraments etc. - a worldwide organization spreading out from the Vatican to
the remotest village parish. However, we are first to experience Jesus. Our
religion is ‘falling in love with Jesus’. Jesus must be the object of our life
search, the focal point of everything we do.
We need to have a religion, which is manifestly a community of people
centred on Jesus. The presence of Jesus in every community activity should be
clearly visible to the participants and to onlookers. “Without me you can do
nothing’. Religion can easily become an empty shell of formalism. People are
looking for Jesus who is truly risen and alive. Many fail to find him in the
Church and go searching elsewhere.
Though we respect the
laws of the Church, we must never feel that they bind us like slaves. We are
bound by one thing only. We must search for Jesus with all our heart and soul.
We are his sheep and he is our shepherd. We must make our own Psalm 63: O Lord,
you are my God, for you I long for you my soul is thirsting like a dry weary
land without water’. Jesus is our life, all we do is to please him, and so we
keep his commandments. Laws are to help us love Jesus more. We love and
forgive, starting with those who have harmed us and are at enmity with us
through to our own families, spouses, and children.
Is religion for you a
relationship of love with Jesus and then with everyone? Is Jesus the centre of
your life? Are you one of his sheep?
Father, O that today I may hear
the voice of Jesus and do his will.
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