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(21st  April 2024) Homily for Fourth Sunday of Easter

READ: (Acts 4: 8-12; 1 Jn 3: 1-2; Jn 10: 11-18)

REFLECT: Jesus, the Good Shepherd seeks, strengthens and saves us all…

Dear friends, we are in the fourth Sunday of Easter. Today’s Sunday is called as Good Shepherd Sunday. The reason to commemorate this Sunday as Good Shepherd Sunday is precisely because of the Gospel reading of the day from St. John’s Gospel that gives emphasis on Jesus, the Good shepherd, who is ready to lay down his life for love of his flock, i.e., us. Today, we commemorate this day as vocation Sunday too, praying for vocations to priesthood and religious. We offer special prayer as well to shepherds, the priests and religious for the pastoral spirit and service in the name of Jesus and to work according to the ways and teachings of God. We offer prayers for the flock, the faithful as well to be one with the shepherds of Christ, adhering and being one with the shepherd and the flock as one family.  

While we trace back the history of the Catholic Church we find that it was Pope Paul VI foresaw a crisis towards the end of the Second Vatican Council. One of the major challenges the Pope perceived was decrease in the vocation to priesthood and religious. As a new Pope in seven months time on 11th April 1964, the eve of the Sunday called The Good Shepherd Sunday, he established the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Because of this reason, we commemorate today’s Sunday as Vocations Sunday. So we shall pray for vocation to priesthood and religious as well, so that many might join to spread the good news of Christ near and far. Thus, based on the readings of the day, I would like to share with you three points of reflections as how Jesus the Good shepherd seeks, strengthens and saves us and wishes us to be the same in our lives too;

1.     Jesus, the Good shepherd seeks after  us:

A good shepherd always seeks after the lost sheep. He/she never sits idle, when one senses or perceives that the flock of sheep is lost or out of the sheepfold. He goes after the sheep till he finds and brings them back to the fold. Certainly, we Christians have Jesus the Good Shepherd, who always seeks after us, because he loves each sheep individually without any favoritism. The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles gives us a glimpse of how firm and strong Peter was in affirming that salvation is in the name of Jesus only. He publicly utters without fear and doubt that it was in the name of Jesus all healings took place and it is in the name of Jesus, we obtain salvation.

Indeed, it is true that Peter was just an instrument of God’s salvation through Jesus’ power and grace. The healing of a crippled man by Peter that takes a thinner layer at the start of the first reading was not his own work or his own power rather the work and power of God in Jesus’ name. Therefore, Peter remains just an instrument to make known the works of God in the name of Jesus. When we look closely, we would understand that salvation is the work of God and the gift of God to humanity. Salvation of each one was not willed by human persons rather God himself. It is God, who took initiative to bring about salvation to humankind and so he sent lastly his own Son Jesus. Therefore, Peter was just a tool to manifest the work of God’s salvation inaugurated in Jesus Christ. However, we see the humility of Peter to acknowledge that the healing was done in the name of Jesus, the good or great deeds that they did were done in the name of Jesus and not by their own name or power.

Perhaps, while we look at the life of the apostles after the death of Jesus, we know what were the conditions and situations of the Apostles. They were in fear and doubt, it was Jesus the good shepherd, who sought the troubled and fear-filled apostles, giving them courage and strength to come out of their doubt and fear to proclaim boldly. Peter and the others apostles too as shepherds empowered by Jesus’ power and grace, they were proclaiming the good news of Christ to all and spreading the name of Christ everywhere. Peter as a shepherd in the name of Christ had the power to heal and cure people and accepted that power of healing was purely the work of God and in the name of Jesus.

Today, a keener look at each one’s life would make us understand better that we all of us are faced with the sickness of name and fame for oneself. We wish everything to be addressed to us and addressed about us, even if it was not ours at times. We become selfish and become sick of the self, not ready and willing to share with others for good and for goodness. But Jesus as the Good shepherd always had spontaneity in sharing his power and grace with others for good. During the earthly ministry of Jesus, he always sought his flock or his disciples or chosen apostles to share his love and grace, even if they did not come after him, Jesus went after them to share God’s love and give God’s blessings in abundance. We see Jesus the Good Shepherd, seeking after the apostles, giving them the power to heal and to cure in the name of Jesus. Therefore, the power and glory belongs to Jesus, who gave it to his chosen apostles as his parting gift.

Pope Francis very beautifully tells us “God wills the salvation of all persons. God wants His children to overcome all particularism in order to be open to the universality of salvation. This is the aim: to overcome particularism and open oneself to the universality of salvation, because God wants to save everyone.” Yes, God wills the salvation of all. Do we wish to become part of the salvific work initiated by God through Jesus Christ? For such an act we need to believe and accept that it is in the name of Jesus, there is salvation and we have salvation. So let us believe that Jesus the good shepherd seeks after us for our salvation and we need to just say ‘yes’ to Jesus to obtain salvation for ourselves. Let us realize that the salvation of God is a seed sown in each one of us for eternity. It can be granted to the one who lives in God’s ways and his plans. The Lord always assures to those who live by his words and plans, the gift of salvation. Salvation is God’s work and a gift in the name of Jesus. If God wills we shall obtain it, provided we do God’s will. 

2.     Jesus, the Good shepherd strengthens:

A true and good shepherd does not only seek the sheep that’s lost or out of the fold rather he brings them to the sheepfold with an intention of strengthening and making them strong with his bond, so that the sheep does not go astray. What keeps the lamb or the sheep close to the shepherd is the nourishment that he or she gives by providing all that they need, establishing the bond of connection and communion with each other to respond and get along well. Yes, God as a shepherd and we as his children (lamb and the sheep) have obtained this nourishment from God as he has given us an identity as children of God by the image he has imprinted on us. Certainly, the greatest gift of all the gifts and blessings we received from God is that we are created in his image and likeness and we are called as children of God. The image of God gives us an identity as God’s children. Therefore, we need to and are called to cherish this likeness of God’s image imprinted in us daily.

Something similar we find in the second reading from First Letter of St. John. It presents before us the great love of God manifested in calling each one of us as his children. The reason that St. John gives as why we were not made known to others as God’s children is because, the world did not know God. Perhaps, if the world did not know God might mean that there was another world view of the children, that is, the children of the world with the whims and fancies of the world or we have failed in our lives to make known to others as children of God. So with these both the views as children of God and children of the world, we would manifest who we are accordingly. The children of the world would be worldly with their ideas or ideals, values or attitudes and approaches but the children of God would be with the ideas and ideals of God, values and attitudes of the kingdom of God. So we need to make a choice between the two – children of God and children of the world.

The children of God are the pure identity and image of God’s children. The children of God do what is pleasing to God and do what God asks or expects of him or her to do or to be, but the children of the world are just opposite, engaging themselves in worldly affairs. Let us realize that image of God imprinted in each one of us is not a garment we wear over the body to cover, which can be removed or thrown away. The image of God imprinted in us is a strong fiber or layer that gives us identity and strengthens us to call ourselves as God’s children.  Just as the shepherd, who not only seeks the lost but brings back the lost to the fold or wounded to the fold and nurses or strengthens it in order to recreate the bond, ensure its safety and security, so also Jesus our good shepherd not only seeks when we are lost and all alone rather he nurses, nourishes us and strengthens us the bond as being called as children of God.

Today, we need to remind ourselves of the privilege that God has given us as children of God. Most of us have lost the liberty of being called as children of God, because our minds and hearts are set on the realities of the world rather than God or Jesus himself. The worldly temptations or desires may be very strong but let us remember that the power and grace of God is much stronger than any worldly values, wisdom, temptations and desires. If we realize the pleasure and privilege of being called as children of God, our bond as God’s children would be strengthened. If we don’t realize the true nature and image of God imprinted in us, we lose the privilege of being called as children of God and end up life in misery. So let us pray that we live by the true image and identity as children of God and obtain happiness that’s in store for us by God.

3. Jesus, the Good shepherd saves :

A good and true shepherd is the one who risks or gives up his or her life for the good of sheep. The shepherd and the sheep group occupation we find in many places even today as we have found in the Middle East formerly. The imagery of the shepherd and the sheep we find throughout the bible in several places, to name some of the biblical personalities – Abraham, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David etc. We have the shepherd Psalm 23 in the Old Testament, which speaks of God as a shepherd of the people of Israel, guiding and guarding them along the way. In the New Testament, it was to shepherds that the birth of Christ was first revealed. Moreover, Jesus applies the title to himself saying, “I am the good Shepherd,” asserting that Jesus guides and guards the wayward sheep or wounded sheep and brings back the lost sheep to the fold of God. This is one of the “I am” sayings of Jesus in the Gospel of John too.

Today, we have one such passage from the Gospel of John for the day’s reading. The chapter 10 of St. John’s Gospel speaks of Jesus as the door of the sheep in the beginning, Jesus as the shepherd in the middle and we see the chapter ends with an argument and accusation of Jewish people against Jesus as he affirms his Sonship with God the Father. Today’s Gospel reading shifts to a different focus from former Sundays after the Easter. After Easter, the Gospel reading of Sunday’s (First, second and third Sunday of Easter) were the appearance or apparitions of the Resurrected Jesus, empowering the apostles and disciples of Jesus to be firm in the faith and to proclaim the faith to all. Today, we have a passage from the Gospel reading of John, presenting Jesus as the Good Shepherd, giving an emphasis to shepherding and safe-guarding the flock or sheepfold of God by Jesus.

The opening verses of the Gospel of John indicate and differentiate between the good shepherd and the hired shepherd/false shepherd. The Good Shepherd is Jesus, who is ready and willing to lay down his life for his people, the flock/sheep. Jesus, the true shepherd is the real and authentic owner of us, his flock. The hired shepherd is not an owner of the flock, who is only a care taker and works in order to get his wages or daily salary. there is no real bond between the hired shepherd and the flock; he does not care for them because he loves money and the flock; when in danger for flock, he would disown and run away, because for the hired shepherd his own life is more important than the life of the sheep or the flock; he would not care the sheep that’s lost or carry the sick or wounded, because he does not feel for it or feel one with them. It is just a duty for the sake of duty and not a service with an act of love and compassion.

Furthermore, Jesus authenticates the nature and character of being a good shepherd in the rest of the gospel verses of the day. Jesus, the good shepherd affirms that he knows the sheep and the sheep knows the shepherd too; Jesus, the good shepherd affirms that he would bring all sheep and the flock together as one family, because as a good shepherd Jesus wishes that we live as one flock under one shepherd; Jesus, the good shepherd affirms that he lays his life on his own accord without any force or for any interior motifs; Jesus, the good shepherd affirms that he is ready to lay down his life willingly because he loves the flock and his every intention is to save the flock and not dessert them at all.

Pope Francis while reflecting on the gospel passage of the day very beautifully points out that three most important aspects of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: “Jesus, the true shepherd, defends us always and saves us in so many difficult situations, dangerous situations through the light of his word and the strength of his presence that we always experience if we want to listen, every day. Jesus as a shepherd knows us like no other. Only he knows what is in our hearts, our intentions, and our most hidden feelings. Jesus knows our strengths and our defects, and is always ready to care for us, to heal the wounds of our errors with the abundance of his mercy. Jesus as a shepherd shows is love for his sheep, that is, for each one of us, leads him to die on the cross because this is the Father’s will that no one should be lost. Christ’s love is not selective; it embraces everyone. He is everyone’s shepherd. Jesus wants everyone to be able to receive the Father’s love and encounter God.”

Yes, Jesus is the good and true shepherd, who defends us, knows us and loves us always. The defence of Jesus the shepherd over us in our limitations, the knowledge of Jesus the Shepherd about us, and the love of Jesus the shepherd for us is what makes Jesus the shepherd to give his life in order to save us. Today, the word ‘shepherd’ is used much in leadership career in our world. It could be a leader of the world in socio-political arenas or the leaders of the Church or the leaders of the family. We need to cross-check and see what sort of leadership roles we play. As leaders of the world and leaders of the church, we are called to be true and genuine to our leadership roles and responsibilities. As leaders of the state and society, as leaders of the family, as leaders of the church we need to do justice to the roles and responsibilities that we are invested by God or by people. Most of us have failed in our roles and responsibility as a leader, because we have diluted it with duplicity, insincerity and selfishness etc. On this good shepherd Sunday, let our prayer be to be good leaders of the state, society, church and family, promoting justice and peace, love and service, unity and happiness amidst all.

RESPOND:

Do we seek after the sheep or the flock (people) who are lost and wounded with love and care?

Do we strengthen the wayward flock with right to dignity of life and nurture them to be called as children of God?

Do we save the flock of God by walking extra miles to love and to make extra-ordinary ways of living and risking life for the growth and safety of people entrusted to our care?

Let us be a good shepherd like Jesus, who seeks the lost, strengthens the wayward by bringing them back to the fold and making them children of God, by saving and safe-guarding people entrusted to our care even to the extent of risking and losing one’s life for the sake others. Amen.

God bless us all…

Live Jesus