20200508 THE UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF THE GOSPEL
08 May, 2022, Sunday, 4th Week of Easter
First reading |
Acts 13:14,43-52 © |
'We must turn to the pagans'
Paul and Barnabas carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took their seats.
When the meeting broke up many Jews and devout converts joined Paul and Barnabas, and in their talks with them Paul and Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.
The next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:
I have made you a light for the nations,
so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’
It made the pagans very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.
But the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 99(100):1-3,5 © |
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
Apocalypse 7:9,14-17 © |
The Lamb will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water
I, John, saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. One of the elders said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 10:27-30 © |
I know my sheep and they follow me
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.
The Father and I are one.’
THE UNIVERSAL APPEAL OF THE GOSPEL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 13:14.43-52; Ps 100:1-3,5; Rev 7:9.14-17; Jn 10:27-30]
Today, we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday. Who is the Good Shepherd? In the bible, God is said to be the Good Shepherd. In the responsorial psalm, we pray, “Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him, we are his people, the sheep of his flock.” However, in the New Testament, Jesus is called the Good Shepherd. The psalmist says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Ps 23:1) In the book of Ezekiel, God said, “I myself will search for my sheep, and will seek them out. As shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I will seek out my sheep. I will rescue them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness.” (Ezk 34:11f) And how would He accomplish all these? “I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them; I, the Lord, have spoken.” (Ezk 34:23f)
For this reason, Jesus as the Son of David is now our Good Shepherd. In the gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11) “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep.’ (Jn 10:14f) In the letter of Hebrews, the author wrote, “Now may the God of peace, who brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, make you complete in everything good so that you may do his will, working among us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ.” (Heb 13:20f)
Indeed, just as in the early Church, Jesus as the Risen Christ continues to shepherd the flock of God through His apostles. St Peter was very much aware of this responsibility when he exhorted his fellow elders, “Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among you to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it – not for sordid gain but eagerly. Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to the flock.” (1 Pt 5:1-3) St Paul too was cognizant of this when he told the elders in Ephesus, “Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son. I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” (Acts 20:28f)
But it is not enough just to look after those who have accepted Jesus as their Good Shepherd. We are called to seek the lost, bring back the strayed, bind up the injured, and strengthen the weak. (Ezk 34:16) In the gospel, Jesus made it clear, “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.” (Jn 10:16) Indeed, it is the Lord’s wish that all will be gathered unto Him. For God is the Shepherd of all since we are all sheep of His flock, regardless who we are and whether we accept or recognize Him as such. In the second reading, we read of the vision of St John for church and humanity. “After that I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary.”
This is why it is urgent for the Church that we cannot be too inward-looking, but reach out also beyond our fellow Catholics. It is not enough just to tender and minister to the flock of God in our care. But it is equally important to empower all Catholics to reach out to those who have not yet come under the fold of the Good Shepherd. The danger is that we may become so inward-looking that we forget that the Church is not a little conclave where we find joy and rest but we are called to be a missionary church. This was what we read in today’s first reading. St Paul always made it a point to preach the Good News to his fellow Jews first. But like us Catholics, often our preaching for conversion fall on deaf ears. The most difficult people to convert are our own kind because they do not feel the message applies to them. The Jews very often rejected the Good News preached by St Paul. We read that when the Jews saw the crowds gathered to hear the preaching of St Paul, they were “prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said: I have made you a light for the nations, so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.'”
In the face of persecution, they took it in a stride. This is because they commended everything to the Lord. Their mission was not a personal ambition that they needed to fulfil. They were carrying out the mission in the name of the Lord, out of gratitude for His love and a personal conviction that this Good News is for the good of humanity. Out of love for them, without any vested interests, they reached out to their fellow Jews and beyond, to whoever was willing to hear the Good News and accept Christ. Hence, “the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. So, they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.”
We too must act in that manner. We do not have to impose the Good News on anyone. We offer it as a free gift to those who will accept. There is no coercion or proselytization. We are offering those who are lost or have not found life, the Good News of salvation. It is given freely because in the first place, we have received it freely as the Lord told His disciples, “As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment.” (Mt 10:7f) 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.”
What we must do, however, is always to act in union with the Lord just as Jesus always worked in union with His Father. The scripture readings today underscore this unity of mind and action of the Father and the Son. The Lord said, “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.” Jesus never acted without the Father but always in union with Him. So too, the vision of St John illustrates this unity of action by the Father and the Son when he wrote that the “One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.” This vision of the Father and the Son giving life to those who surrender themselves to them shows how we too must always act in union with the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit, just like the apostles did.
All of us in our own ways are called to be shepherds after the heart of Christ, the Good Shepherd. Let us listen to Him intently and follow Him in giving up our life for the gospel and for the salvation of humanity, just like the countless martyrs and saints who have gone before us so that when the time comes for us to depart, “when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of glory that never fades away.” (1Pet 5:4) So long as we seek intimacy with the Great Shepherd, we will never be lost. Christ will protect and guide us so that we can lead those under our charge to greener pastures.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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