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(11th May 2025) Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

READ: (Acts 13: 14,43-53; Rev 7:9, 14-17; Jn 10: 27-30)

REFLECT: Take Delight in the Lord…

Dear friends, we are in the fourth Sunday of Easter. The liturgy of the word invites us to take delight in the Lord and his ways. Delight means to please greatly or to find great pleasure. More than all, if we could take delight in the Lord, we would be the luckiest people on earth to live and be gifted to obtain God's love. To delight in God or His law or word is to take pleasure in God, His law, and His word. In simple words, it means we enjoy the presence of God, His laws, and His words. It's like your favourite dessert or food. Amidst many pleasurable things in life, it is difficult to please God, but not impossible. The more we please God, the better life would be. The more we please the world, the greater would be our gap and waywardness from God. Either we have to strike a balance or completely please God, and He will assist us to move on in life with joy and happiness.The readings of the day present before us such ways and means to take pleasure in God and His word. Therefore, I would like to share with you three points of reflection:

1. Be Glad to Proclaim the Good News

We hear in the letter to Hebrews, “You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions,”(Heb 1:9). Yes, the oil of gladness is a symbol of God’s power through the Holy Spirit that God gives us. We cannot experience the peace and power of God if we lack the oil of gladness. It is the power of God in us that gives us the grace to be glad and bold proclaimers of God’s word to people. The power of God is given to each one of us as Christians by virtue of baptism that we have received. We need to realize it and work towards the progression of it by understanding our roles and responsibility as child of God and as Christians.

That's what we see in the First Reading from the Acts of the Apostles. The bold proclamation of Paul and Barnabas with joy. 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 As 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.

The bold proclamation of the Good News by Paul and Barnabas made the Gentiles rejoice. Similarly, our message of proclamation needs to bring glad tidings of joy to people. The apostles and disciples could share the message of joy and gladness because they were gripped by God's Spirit. So let us allow ourselves to be gripped by the Spirit of God.

As Pope Francis reminds us, “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.” Yes, the proclamation of the good news takes place, when we have encountered and experienced the power of Jesus within. Let us allow Jesus to enter our hearts and that we may proclaim Christ crucified and risen to people around us. We pray that we obtain the courage to share the goodness, good things and good news that God has worked in us through Christ.

2. Be Firm in the Faith We Have

The faith we have is to be solid and strong. Day by day, we have to be firm in the faith that we profess or the faith we live. Because faith in God makes us strong, and faith in God can even move mountains, as we read in Matthew 17:20: “Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” True to these words of the scripture, we need to take to heart that everything becomes a possibility, when we have faith in God. Faith gives us an access to enter into the world of trust and confidence in divine plans and designs of God. It all matters how firm we remain in faith that we profess, to what level our faithfulness to God is expressed. Therefore, firm faith is like an anchor that holds us closer to the heart of God.

That's what we hear from the Second Reading from the Book of Revelation, “These are the ones who survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, they stand before God's throne and serve 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 centre 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.”

Faith in the Son of God will improve the quality of life as Christians, although we might undergo hardships and hard paths. It is the promise given to us by the Lamb of God, Jesus, to give us shelter, safety, and security from every oppressive notion and form of the world. Let us pray for firm faith and be firm in the faith that we have and live.

That’s what Pope Francis teaches us,“Faith, which is always God’s gift and always to be asked for, must be nurtured by us. It is no magic power, but a relationship with God that requires our daily commitment.” Yes, we need to firmly believe that faith is a gift of God that is given to nurture and nourish our friendship and relationship with God. What we require is our commitment to the faith we profess and practice. Let us pray that God may instil in us the gift of faith.

3. Get in Touch with Jesus

Getting in touch with Jesus is getting closer to God. The more we become closer to God, the better we become as children of God. Getting in touch with Jesus means that we are attuned to His words, voice, and spirit. That's what we see in the Gospel reading. Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” So when we get in touch with Jesus, it will make us hearers of God’s voice, the association with Jesus will make us known to God, and will make us follow God sincerely and faithfully. The faithful sheep of Christ know the voice of God; they find delight in God’s voice than fear; they find attuned to God’s voice, because they are in tune with God’s words and voice; they persuade Jesus’ path, because they know that the path leads to the sheepfold of Christ, where there is real joy, peace and harmony.

Today, the reason why many of us are out of touch is because we do not hear the voice of Jesus or we do not have such dispositions to hear the voice. Perhaps, we do not know Jesus or have not experienced Jesus in life. Therefore, we do not follow Jesus; rather, we follow our own desires according to our inclinations and intentions. We need to remember always that the inheritance of eternal lifeno one can take it away from those who hear the voice of God and listen to His words. They will possess eternal life. Jesus assures them that He would know them, and they would follow Him.

As we reflect on getting touch with Jesus, I am reminded of a song and there is a lyric of the following song which suits us today: “Have a little talk with Jesus, tell Him about all our troubles, He will hear the faintest cry and answer by and by. Have a little talk with Jesus makes it right.” Yes, a little talk with Jesus, a little walk with Jesus will get us in touch with Jesus and make things right. The talk and walk with Jesus will enable us to prophets and bold proclaimer of God’s word in our world.

Let us take to heart what Pope Francis reminds us:“We are not prophets of gloom who take delight in unearthing dangers or deviations, handing down bitter judgments on our society, on the Church, on everything and everyone, polluting the world with our negativity. Instead, whoever proclaims the hope of Jesus carries joy and can see both far-off new horizons and pressing needs under their nose, driving them to help and go out from themselves to write history.” Yes, let us become prophets who proclaims the hope that never disappoints but gives us renewal, refreshment and reorientation in God.

So, my dear friends, the glad proclamation of the Good News, having firm faith in the belief that we have, and getting in touch with Jesus need to start from the level of individuals, families, and at large to the world for a greater impact. Today, let us pray that we take delight in the Lord by gladly proclaiming the Good News, by being firm in the faith that we have, and by getting in touch with Jesus always.

RESPOND:

Are we glad and take bold steps to proclaim the goodnews of Christ wherever we are and wherever we go?

Are we firm in the faith that we profess and practice them in daily life?

Are we in touch with God to come closer to by listening to God’s voice and responding to God promptly?

Let us be glad and bold to proclaim the goodnews of Christ, be firm in our faith and come closer to Jesus by responding to God promptly. Amen.

God bless us all! Live  Jesus!