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
Psalm 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
Revelation 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
John 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
John 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,
The Word of the Lord and the Christian message are spread through persecution and suffering. The more the Church is repressed by earthly powers, the stronger it becomes. That is why we rejoice when we suffer. We don’t avoid it, we embrace it. We are encouraged to welcome calamity in our lives with joy, seeing it as an opportunity to demonstrate to others that it is not us who is triumphing over these seemingly hopeless situations, but evidence of God at work within our lives. In other circumstances, those that don’t include God, things may appear hopeless and beyond one’s control. When God is included, victory becomes guaranteed. That is why, regardless of what the Apostles faced, it was done with joy and an unearthly confidence. The Apostle John reminds us of this in his vision,
“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.”
This may have been referring to the martyrs of the Church but can easily be applied to all of us who have Christ in our lives. Our victory is assured in all things through Jesus Christ. Understand this: What that victory looks like is influenced by the will of God and does not mean we will get what we want, but we will definitely be in a better place as a result. Many times, we may find ourselves in a difficult situation brought about by our own actions or the actions of other people. This indicates an exercise of self-will above that of God’s. Rarely do we find a negative situation developed by the will of God, except when it is for the strengthening or development of the persons involved to bring about the betterment of the individual or group as a whole. The negative situations are easily reversed and made better when acceptance occurs and God becomes the mitigating factor in the situation.
This entire message is driven home through the Gospel Reading today. Today is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. To follow Jesus Christ, we must surrender our will completely to Him. That is when we can hear His voice and are capable of listening to what He has to say. We need to be ready and willing to do this. At times, there might be a struggle regarding this, especially because of the driving force of our own wills that are susceptible to so many outside influences and are corrupted by evil. If we are willing to listen to Jesus Christ and are willing to respond to what He is saying with action, then we will be victorious in everything that we do. He already knows us and wants to help us. It is us who need to get to know Him and recognize who he is.
A good friend of mine told me about a particular routine he has every morning. He wakes up, gets out of bed, and immediately drops to his knees. He then says a short prayer, asking God to take away his will. He further asks God to help him to be an instrument of His will to help other people, removing all selfishness in his actions. The entire prayer takes about 30 seconds. It is a moment that emphasizes that God is in control, and he is not. It further puts him in a position of subservience, ready and willing to listen to God’s voice. Simple, yet effective, it orients him towards God and away from all other things. He becomes open to hear God’s voice. He wants to hear God’s voice and he wants to do what God says. He becomes ready and willing.
Jesus Christ is our shepherd. In order for Him to do His job, which is to guide us with loving care, we as His sheep need to listen to what is being said. In the end, His yolk is not heavy, and His burden is light. Through Him, our lives will become more manageable and easier as a result.
Deacon Tom
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