Deacon Tom Anthony

Fourth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 50

Reading 1 Acts 4:8-12

Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said:
"Leaders of the people and elders:
If we are being examined today
about a good deed done to a cripple,
namely, by what means he was saved,
then all of you and all the people of Israel should know
that it was in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean
whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead;
in his name this man stands before you healed.
He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.
There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28, 29

R. (22) The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in man.
It is better to take refuge in the LORD
than to trust in princes.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD;
we bless you from the house of the LORD.
I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and have been my savior.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his kindness endures forever.
R. The stone rejected by the builders has become the cornerstone.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Reading 2 1 Jn 3:1-2

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.

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 10:11-18

Jesus said:
"I am the good shepherd.
A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
A hired man, who is not a shepherd
and whose sheep are not his own,
sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away,
and the wolf catches and scatters them.
This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep.
I am the good shepherd,
and I know mine and mine know me,
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father;
and I will lay down my life for the sheep.
I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold.
These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice,
and there will be one flock, one shepherd.
This is why the Father loves me,
because I lay down my life in order to take it up again.
No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own.
I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again.
This command I have received from my Father."

My Brothers and Sisters,

During the Easter Season many of the Scripture Readings center around the testimony of the Apostles. Through the writings of Saint Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, this continues with the testimony of Peter. He emphasizes emphatically that all the miracles being witnessed by the Jewish Leaders and the people are being performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Throughout the Gospels, we heard the words of Jesus Christ being spoken; now we are being offered the direct testimony of the first witnesses: the Apostles. The Psalms come alive and the words are fulfilled:

 “He is the stone rejected by you, the builders,
which has become the cornerstone.”

What was slowly revealed through the Gospels is now reinforced by the words of those who were closest to Him. Moved by the Holy Spirit, The Apostles and Disciples of Jesus were  invigorated and inspired to proclaim the Good News of  Jesus Christ.

Only a short time earlier, they were scattered and hiding in fear of their lives after the crucifixion of Jesus. Only John remained while the rest fled in fear of their lives. Now, they all stood boldly behind Peter and proclaimed what we all know is the central aspect of our faith:

 “There is no salvation through anyone else,
nor is there any other name under heaven
given to the human race by which we are to be saved."

There is so much power and energy in those words. They are definitive and final, coming from a person who denied Jesus three times. These words came after the resurrection and when Peter’s eyes were opened to the Sacred Scriptures. Peter then lived by these words and proclaimed Jesus through them. He then died by them, offering his life as a martyr to the Church and to Jesus Christ.

As Christians, we are asked to invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts and let Its presence transform us just as Peter was transformed. We all have the capability to feel the impact of God’s Love just as powerful and fulfilling as Peter did. We are no different and no less special then those who came before us. We are all God’s children and are equal in that respect. Furthermore, we all have a job to do. We are all commissioned by Christ to go forth and evangelize the faith. Yes, we may be broken but no more broken then those who ran and were hiding for fear of being caught and persecuted for being a follower of Jesus. They faced imminent death, yet came forward to proclaim which was never to be hidden again. In contrast, if we are not doing the same, we must ask ourselves a simple question: “What is our excuse?” Are we facing imminent death? Are we facing imminent persecution? Even though there are those in the world today who are indeed facing the ultimate price for their faith, many of us are not facing the same. So, those of us who are not should take those who are as an example of how we should conduct ourselves.

Whatever way we approach our faith, in times of joy or in times of distress, we can take solace in the fact that Jesus told us Himself that He is our Shepherd. He is the Chief Shepherd of the Flock which is the entire universe. He is the Lord and Protector of everything. There should be comfort in this. There should also be an appropriate reaction that we should be striving for: a surrendering of our will in exchange for His will. I feel that things only go wrong in our lives when we don’t surrender completely. If this is true, then shouldn’t we concentrate on the obvious and let Him be our Shepherd. He is there for us, calling to us, and guiding us. The response is completely up to us. The Apostles and disciples for a time exercised their own will and fled as a result. When they received what was being offered to them by Jesus is when their hearts were set on fire. The results can be the same for us all.

Deacon Tom