20180424
ENSURING THAT WE DO NOT LOSE JESUS AND OUR
LOVED ONES
24 APRIL, 2018, Tuesday, 4th Week of Easter
Readings
at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: White.
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First reading
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Acts 11:19-26 ©
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They started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord Jesus
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Those who had escaped during the persecution that happened because
of Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they
usually proclaimed the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, who came
from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch where they started preaching to the
Greeks, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Jesus to them as well. The Lord
helped them, and a great number believed and were converted to the Lord.
The church
in Jerusalem heard about this and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. There he could
see for himself that God had given grace, and this pleased him, and he urged
them all to remain faithful to the Lord with heartfelt devotion; for he was a
good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and with faith. And a large number of
people were won over to the Lord.
Barnabas
then left for Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to
Antioch. As things turned out they were to live together in that church a whole
year, instructing a large number of people. It was at Antioch that the
disciples were first called ‘Christians.’
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 86(87) ©
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O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
On the holy mountain is his city
cherished by the Lord.
The Lord prefers the gates of Zion
to all Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told glorious things,
O city of God!
O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
‘Babylon and Egypt I will count
among those who know me;
Philistia, Tyre, Ethiopia,
these will be her children
and Zion shall be called “Mother”
for all shall be her children.’
O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
It is he, the Lord Most High,
who gives each his place.
In his register of peoples he writes:
‘These are her children,’
and while they dance they will sing:
‘In you all find their home.’
O praise the Lord, all you nations!
or
Alleluia!
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Gospel Acclamation
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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John 10:22-30 ©
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The Father and I are one
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It was the time when the feast of Dedication was being celebrated
in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the Temple walking up and down in
the Portico of Solomon. The Jews gathered round him and said, ‘How much longer
are you going to keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’
Jesus replied:
‘I have told you, but you do not believe.
The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness;
but you do not believe,
because you are no sheep of mine.
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.
The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone,
and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.’
ENSURING THAT WE DO NOT LOSE JESUS AND OUR LOVED ONES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 11:19-26; Ps 87:1-7; John 10:22-30
]
In the gospel
Jesus said, “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and
they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and
no one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is
greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father.” This is
the assurance of Jesus that if we come to Him we will never be lost or be led
astray. Is this true? How do we explain the many Catholics
who have left the faith and the Church? How is it that in spite of being
Catholic, many do not find fullness of life and are living in limbo or in
darkness? This is true of our relationships with our loved ones as well.
Can we be sure that our spouse will remain faithful to us, or that our children
will continue to remain in contact with us?
How can we
ensure that our relationships with God and our loved ones will last and remain
intact?
Even if it could last, it is not good enough. More importantly, how can
we ensure that our relationships with God and our loved ones are rich and
life-giving? Although many of us still have a relationship with God, it
is stale and unexciting. It is one of routine. We keep up with the
prayers but there is no love, no excitement and no joy. We try to stay
faithful to our responsibilities. We observe the commandments, but there is no
real relationship. This is true also of our marital relationships.
Before marriage, we shared and talked much about our life, our joys and woes.
But after marriage, we keep all our difficulties to ourselves. Our
relationship with our spouse becomes routine. Why is that so?
What has
happened to the free and loving communication? Human beings are very
fragile and egoistic. We get hurt easily. Just an unkind word or a hurtful remark
can make us wounded and become resentful of the person. Once that
happens, regardless what good the person does, memories of the past hurt would
prevent us from being receptive to what the person says or does. This is true
also of marriage life. When we are hurt in marriage, we close up
due to arguments and quarrels. We bear grudges which harden into
resentment. We begin to lose trust in each other and no longer bare our
souls to one another. This is also the case for our children losing
trust in us. Because they have been hurt by our words, they no longer
have confidence in us. They cut us off and stop sharing their lives with
us lest we hurt them again.
This is what
Jesus meant when He said, “I have told you, but you do not believe. The
works I do in my Father’s name are my witness; but you do not believe, because
you are no sheep of mine.” Those who do not love Jesus are skeptical and
negative. Not surprisingly, Jesus met with much resistance from His own
people. They were not ready to listen to Him or to accept Him. They
said to Jesus, “How much longer are you going to keep us in suspense? If you
are the Christ, tell us plainly.” Were they really keen to find out the
truth about Jesus or just finding reasons to reject Him? They wanted
Jesus to declare Himself as the Messiah for malicious reasons, so that they
could expose Him to be a liar. There are many who call themselves
Catholics but in truth are not the sheep of the Lord. They might be
baptized but they follow the voice of the world. They might be doing and
performing some Catholic practices, but the voice they hear is from the world
because they take directions from the world and not from the gospel of Christ,
or the teachings of the magisterium. Those who openly disagree with the
teachings of scripture and the Church are not His sheep. As they do not
know the Lord, they cannot identify themselves with Him. They are not one
with the Lord.
Similarly, if
we want to ensure that we never lose our loved ones or our Lord, we must take
heed of what the Lord is saying to us. “The sheep that belong to me
listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” Only lovers can hear
the voice of the beloved. If we are to be one with Jesus and be His
sheep, then only love for the Lord will enable us to respond effectively to His
call and His voice. If there is no love, the voice would not be
heard. This explains why many Catholics do not hear the voice of the Good
Shepherd. They read the scriptures and are not moved. They hear a
homily but their hearts are hardened. But if we fall in love with Jesus,
then we become identified with Him. The Holy Spirit leads us to Jesus;
the Spirit of love unites us with Him. That is why we must make time for
prayers and especially to read the Word of God and better still, to share the
Word with our fellow Catholic brothers and sisters.
So too in
human relationships, when it comes to acceptance of each other. We only follow whom
we know, like the sheep and the shepherd. To know means more than
intellectual knowledge but inter-personal knowledge. When someone knows
us well – how we feel, and not just what we think, our struggles and pains, our
aspirations and desires – we can entrust our lives to them because we know they
will always support us. They will do us no harm because we belong to each
other and are identified with each other. That is the case between lovers
and friends. For this reason, we cannot underestimate the importance
of making time for our loved ones. No amount of doing can replace the
sharing of mind and heart with each other. Whether with our spouse or
children, we need to make time to be with each other, to talk about our life,
joys and struggles. In the process of sharing we become more aware each
other’s feelings. This will strengthen the bond between each other.
Sharing and
bonding is what gives us life. When we trust Jesus, then we will be
assured of eternal life. The promise given to those who follow Him is that they find
“eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from
me.” Those who follow Jesus will have a foretaste of the life
of God. Walking with Jesus is to walk in truth and in love.
To walk with Jesus is to share in His life and love. The more we walk
with Him, the more we will never be lost because that relationship will grow
from strength to strength. Most of all, we become one with Him, just as
Jesus is one with the Father.
Jesus trusted
in His Father’s fidelity. He said, “The Father who gave them to me is greater than
anyone, and no one can steal from the Father.” He was confident that
everything that came from the Father will return to the Father. He knew
that His Father would be faithful to His promises. As the Father gave Him
the sheep to look after, He will also give Him the grace to bring them
home. Jesus felt secure not in His own power but in the power of His
heavenly Father. And this is because Jesus was united with the Father in
everything. “The Father and I are one.” He was one in mind and
heart with His Father. It was a willing of mind and heart because of the
love between the Father and the Son. This union is a consequence of love.
This is the union that Jesus prayed also for us. “Holy Father, protect
them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are
one.” (Jn 17:11)
So today, if
we are hurt by our loved ones and continue to bear grudges, we must learn to
let go, like
the disciples of Christ who were persecuted by the Jews. Instead of
withdrawing and giving up on the mission, they were courageous and
proactive. They turned their misfortunes into opportunities to spread the
gospel beyond the confines of Palestine. It was because of the
persecution that they were forced to announce the Good News to the Gentile
world. We too must use our pain to heal ourselves and to heal
others. We must not allow misunderstandings and the human failings of
loved ones to keep us further apart. Instead of closing up, we must learn
from such lessons and reach out to those who are hurting. In this way, we
build trust, friendship, love and understanding. Only when we begin to
love each other sincerely again, can we then share in the joy and life of
others.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of
Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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