(Homily for 4th Sunday of Easter Year B)
Even though today’s readings are replete
with several themes, however the theme that overlaps in all, is that of the
risen Lord, and his continued work of redemption in and through the Church. The
first reading speaks of the risen Lord carrying out his saving work in the
world, and this was made manifest through the healing of the crippled. And at
the heart of that passage is the affirmation that the “name” which saves is the
name of the crucified-risen Lord. The
heart of today’s Gospel lies in the presentation of the risen Lord as the Good
Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep, orchestrated in and through his sacrifice on the Cross. The second
reading brings to light our present
participation and it’s ‘not yetness’ in the risen Christ, for “we are God’s
children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be”. In all, Jesus is the
Good Shepherd who was crucified and has risen for love of us. Through his passion, death and resurrection
Jesus demonstrates immensely that he is the Good Shepherd who has power to lay
down his life for his sheep and also has power to take it up again (Jn.10:18).
In the first reading from the Acts of the
Apostles (Acts 4:8-12), we encounter
a particular pattern common in the Acts of the Apostles and similar as well to
that of the fourth Gospel. That is the procedure of presenting a discourse
after a miracle must have taken place. In the context of this reading, the
discourse therein comes after the healing of the crippled man. Here, Peter shifts from the fact of the
immediate miracle to the proclamation of what or who makes the miracle possible,
that is, the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ., crucified and risen. In this
perspective, healing is in close connection to salvation. Healing here, is the sign of the reality of salvation. In Greek,
both words come from the same verb ‘sōthenai’,
which stands to indicate to be saved or made whole. Peter made mention of the name of Jesus, as a
powerful name. A journey back to history lane, reveals that some of the early
Christian exorcists employed the formula “in the name of Jesus” to heal the
sick. In his name salvation is made possible, the sick are healed, and those in
bondage are set free. Indeed, true,
whole and authentic salvation is made available in and through his Name.
At the heart of the human person is the
fundamental desire for salvation. The desire for salvation can be manifested in
number of ways, it can be in the need for security, for liberation and
purification, for fullness of life and love, for the need to overcome some
barriers etc. However, the overriding question that arises from this desire is:
who can save man? Here, we can find
an answer in the Acts of the Apostles in the words of St. Peter, “there is no
salvation in no other” if not in Jesus Christ of Nazareth (cf. Acts 4:10-12). Like Peter we have to firmly believe and
proclaim that there is no salvation in no other except in Jesus Christ. There
is no salvation in magic (whether white or black), there is no salvation in
spiritism, and there is no salvation in gods made by human hands. St. Peter in his words reminds us that we have a
common mission to carry out in this world: to proclaim that Christ is truly
risen and only in him there is salvation. Jesus is the only Savior of the
world, there is no other (v.12). We have to proclaim and make him known not
with mere words, but with facts and with a transformed life.
One may probably ask, why is it in Christ that we can find
salvation? Because He helps us to recover what we have lost, that is, our
human and divine dignity as children of God. Little wonder, St. John tell us “You
must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called
God’s children – which is what we are” (1Jn.
3:1). What indeed is the motive for offering his life? Because “He came so
that we might have life and have it in abundance” (Jn. 10:10). However, this is not automatic, for we are called to
make an effort, to welcome him, to accept him, “Who welcomed him, he gives
power to become children of God” (Jn. 1:12).
Secondly, he regains for humanity her true and authentic destiny, the eternal
life, where there is fullness of life and of love, where the contemplation of
God will take a different dimension, for “we shall see him as he really is,
face to face” (1Jn. 3:2).
The second reading (1Jn. 3:1-2) reinstates the
filial relationship that exists between God and his people. And it is traceable to the paternal sensibility
of Jesus, who admitted his disciples and us the privilege to call God “Abba
Father” (cf. Rm. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).
St. John opines that the world did not know “him”, probably not referring to
the Father, but Christ. This of course is in connection with the Pauline
statement that the rulers of the world did not know Christ, if not they would
not have crucified the Lord of glory (1
Cor. 2:8). In St. John’s parlance too, those
Jews that crucified Jesus similarly symbolize the unbelieving world that
rejects God’s revelation in and through his Son, Jesus Christ. This serves
as a breach between the second and the first readings, particularly, with the
assertion “you”, referring to the ‘Israelites’: “You crucified Jesus Christ of
Nazareth”.
St. John tells us that through faith and
baptism, we have a common fundamental vocation and dignity. We are children of God not in a
metaphorical sense, but we are God’s children really, and thus participants
of his divine life. The full splendor of
this dignity will be fully revealed in the world to come. We are therefore called to a full communion
of life with God in eternal life: “we will be like him, because we shall
see him as he is”. In that bid, we have to spend our earthly existence in
accordance with our vocation and dignity as God’s children. Every Christian
therefore is called to live and realize his or her vocation as a child of God.
And this has to be done according to one’s state of life, “There are many
different gifts, but it is always the same Spirit” (1Cor. 12:4).
From the fourth Gospel (Jn. 10:11-18) we read the Good
Shepherd discourse. Upon proper perusal into the fourth Gospel one discovers
that the Jesus of John made several
declarations on his identity, and one of those declarations appears twice in
this Gospel periscope: “I am the Good Shepherd” (vv.11.14). And the basic
point of this declaration is the fact that the Good Shepherd lays down his life
for his sheep (vv.11b.15b.17.18),
which is repeated four times in the passage. This basic point of the laying down of his life accentuates the
importance and centrality of his “self-giving” in the liturgical season in
which we are. It goes a long way to remind us that the risen Lord is the
Jesus of Nazareth that laid down his life, “greater love than this no man has,
for a man to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). He offers his
life spontaneously, freely and gratuitously, for the sake of love.
Yes! He is the Good Shepherd that defends
his sheep from wolves, and today there are many of those wolves, who have only
come to destroy Christ’s flock. Wolves in forms of false prophets, false
evangelists, ministers of prosperity who
relegate the themes of repentance and God’s kingdom to the background.
However, particularly interesting are the following words of Jesus: “I know my
own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father” (v.14b). Knowledge here is predicated upon the readiness to obey his words and
to do his will. And the knowledge existent between Jesus and his own is an
offshoot from the knowledge existent between Jesus and the Father. As such, the model of this rapport is the reciprocal
knowledge existent between Jesus and the Father (v.15). By
knowledge here, we mean experiential knowledge, not a mere head knowledge.
Rather knowledge by acquaintance, ours therefore
is a knowledge that is derived from our encounter with the risen Lord. And
this knowledge propels us to obedience, for “in this way we know that we have
come to know him, if we keep his commandments” (1Jn.2:3). At long last, this
knowledge leads us to our eternal destiny, for St. John tells us: “And
eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you
have sent” (Jn. 17:3). And may we
join our voices together to that of Simon Peter in affirming and proclaiming:
“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have
believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God” (Jn. 6:68-69).
Drawing the
issue further, here we see a detailed presentation and representation of Jesus
as the Good Shepherd. Jesus himself explains the intimate relationship that
exists between the sheep and the Shepherd. He talks about a mutual knowledge
that co-exists between the Shepherd and the sheep: “I know my sheep and my
sheep know me” (v.14). Not just a mutual knowledge but also a
personified knowledge: “the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his
own sheep and leads them out” (v.3).
As such, it is not a relationship where
one is active, and the other is passive, not a subject-object relationship, but
in the vocabulary of Martin Buber an “I-Thou” relationship.
Besides, in the context of this gospel passage we come in contact with biblical
exclusiveness and inclusiveness, for Jesus speaks of ‘his own’ and “other sheep,
that are not of the fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice”,
this underlies the mission of the Church at all times, especially in our
contemporary world. The task to bring people together, without any
discrimination of race, sex, rank or color. The Gospel on its part gives us indications on how to carry out our
mission on earth. And the style and the spirit is that of the good Shepherd,
“who offers his life for his sheep”. It
is a style of service, love and availability toward others. We are all
called to the imitation of the Good Shepherd, for if we are shepherds like him,
God will be always with us, as He was and is with him, and we will have nothing
to fear or to tremble.
Above all, today as we celebrate the World
Day of Prayer for Vocations, let us pray so that, all in their specific calling
may realize their primordial vocation as God’s children and the mission of
proclaiming the message of Salvation, in accordance with one’s calling and the
gifts received. It was Pope Paul VI who desired to dedicate this Sunday,
commonly known as the Good Shepherd Sunday, to the Sunday for Vocations, and
that is the reason behind our celebration of the World Day of Vocations today. And
as we celebrate Vocation Sunday we pray for all those who are Shepherds in and
for the Church that they may continue to be authentic imitators of the Good
Shepherd. Amen!!!
(Fr. Vitus M.C.
Unegbu)
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