Deacon Tom Anthony

Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 51

Reading 1 Acts 13:14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and reached Antioch in Pisidia.
On the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to hear the word of the Lord.
When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but since you reject it
and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we now turn to the Gentiles.
For so the Lord has commanded us,
I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that you may be an instrument of salvation
to the ends of the earth.”

The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and glorified the word of the Lord.
All who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and the word of the Lord continued to spread
through the whole region.
The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and the leading men of the city,
stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory.
So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and went to Iconium.
The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 100:1-2, 3, 5

R.(3c) We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R.We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD is good:
his kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R.We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 Rev 7:9, 14b-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me,
“These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and night in his temple.
The one who sits on the throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Alleluia Jn 10:14

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my sheep, and mine know me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Jn 10:27-30

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

My Brothers and Sisters,

 Jesus hears us and knows us intimately. He tells us this Himself in the Gospel Reading today. They are words of encouragement and words that can be used to mold our relationship with Him. As our relationship with Jesus deepens we will be able to find I Him in places and in things that we would have never thought Him to be. When our knowledge and understanding of Jesus expands so does our awareness of His presence and thus we become more familiar with Him. This process is continuous and really never ends. The deeper we engage in a relationship with Jesus the deeper we will come to know of His presence. This will lead to a desire for more interactions with Him and will also lead to positive things in our life. Jesus would never steer us wrong of give us bad information. In fact, that is impossible so as long as we keep that familiarity with Him and listen to what He is saying to us. Our lives will be affected in an incredible way. Each day becomes an opportunity for growth and healing.

We have received a guarantee from our God that we will be cherished, protected, and engaged in an intimate relationship with Him forever. To be fully affected by these words they need to be listened to with importance. They cannot be read and then not be reacted to. Our God is telling us that He is here and is ready to receive us when we go to Him. It is so easy not to react to these when we focus on other things that we think are important to us in our lives, especially when other things are directly in front of us and demand our attention. This is actually when these words can be most helpful and reassuring. Keeping our focus on God only when we selectively do so instead of continuously reduces the impact that He can have on our lives and our relationship with Him. He has told us today what affect a deep relationship with Him will have. The challenge is if we are going to give weight to those words.

In the First Reading today Luke describes Paul and Barnabas being, “filled with joy and the Holy Spirit” when they were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia. They knew that God was with them so any adversity was confronted with this understanding. They were never in fear for themselves because they knew that whatever happened God would be with them. They rejoiced when people received the Word of God with passion and love. They rejoiced when they were rejected and suffered in the Name of Jesus Christ. Whenever we face suffering brought upon by circumstances in this world we too are suffering in the Name of Jesus Christ. When we accept Jesus into our lives and walk with Him there will be those in society who will be infuriated by this fact. We are hated by society because society is not a creation of God but an instrument in the hands of Satan and it must be looked upon with distrust and caution. As Christians we understand this and can rejoice because as long as we stay with God we will be victorious. Our victory has been guaranteed. Our God has told us so. When we accept this victory and the promises that come with it we then become part of the solution of God’s Divine Plan. We will always be protected and guided in this life and the next.

There have always been two choices in front of us which will affect how we are going to experience this life and how much we will be prepared for an eternity with God. Accepting Jesus Christ as a guiding force acknowledges that He is indeed our Shepherd and with that acknowledgement and wisdom all that Christ promised will become evident. Ignoring who Christ is or not fully engaging Him as He is guarantees a life without the influence of the one who gave us this life. Being separated from the one who loves us so much that He created us and wants to be with us always causes us to lose our greatest advocate.  Why would anyone logically or theologically ever want to do that?

Deacon Tom