20240515 THE GOOD SHEPHERD IS ONE WHO WATCHES OVER HIS FLOCK
15 May 2024, Wednesday, 7th Week of Eastertide
First reading | Acts 20:28-38 © |
I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, and its power
Paul addressed these words to the elders of the church of Ephesus:
‘Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them. So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one of you. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.
‘I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work I did earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. I did this to show you that this is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, “There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”’
When he had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed. By now they were all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again. Then they escorted him to the ship.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 67(68):29-30,33-36 © |
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Show forth, O God, show forth your might,
your might, O God, which you have shown for us.
For the sake of your temple high in Jerusalem
may kings come to you bringing their tribute.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, praise the Lord
who rides on the heavens, the ancient heavens.
He thunders his voice, his mighty voice.
Come, acknowledge the power of God.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
His glory is on Israel; his might is in the skies.
God is to be feared in his holy place.
He is the Lord, Israel’s God.
He gives strength and power to his people.
Blessed be God!
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Mt28:19,20 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Go, make disciples of all the nations.
I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn17:17 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Your word is truth, O Lord:
consecrate us in the truth.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 17:11-19 © |
Father, keep those you have given me true to your name
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:
‘Holy Father,
keep those you have given me true to your name,
so that they may be one like us.
While I was with them,
I kept those you had given me true to your name.
I have watched over them
and not one is lost
except the one who chose to be lost,
and this was to fulfil the scriptures.
But now I am coming to you
and while still in the world I say these things
to share my joy with them to the full.
I passed your word on to them,
and the world hated them,
because they belong to the world
no more than I belong to the world.
I am not asking you to remove them from the world,
but to protect them from the evil one.
They do not belong to the world
any more than I belong to the world.
Consecrate them in the truth;
your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
I have sent them into the world,
and for their sake I consecrate myself
so that they too may be consecrated in truth.’
THE GOOD SHEPHERD IS ONE WHO WATCHES OVER HIS FLOCK
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 20:28-38; PS 67:29-30,33-36; JOHN 17:11-19]
Both scripture readings speak about the Good Shepherd as one who is called to watch over the flock of God. This is because the Church of Christ is constantly being attacked from within and without. Indeed, the Church today faces a two-fold challenge, division and confusion when it comes to doctrines and morality; and on the other hand, a very hostile secular world that opposes the tenets of Christianity on gender, marriage, the culture of life, and unity of humanity in pursuing progress, prosperity and peace.
In the gospel, Jesus prayed for His disciples and the Church, for He knew that after His departure, the Church would be persecuted by the world. He said, “I am coming to you and while still in the world I say these things to share my joy with them to the full. I passed your word on to them, and the world hated them, because they belong to the world no more than I belong to the world. I am not asking you to remove them from the world, but to protect them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.” There is a great temptation for the Church to be reduced to another humanitarian organization for doing good. We are called to compromise our values and our faith so that the Faith can be more acceptable by the world.
The fear among some so-called progressive Catholics is that if we remain faithful to the Catholic Tradition handed down by our fore-fathers, we would be a sore-thumb in the world and lose our relevance and impact. So there have been calls to make the Church more compromising in her doctrines, whether it is with respect to gender ideology, marriage, abortion, IVF or euthanasia. We are called to close an eye to the injustices in the world by condoning wars and the increase in armament, and an unfair and hostile economic competition that goes against the values of free trade giving every country the possibility to grow.
The irony is that not only are we attacked by the world who are against the gospel values, but we are being attacked from within and labelled as stubborn, rigid and not welcoming. Indeed, those who seek to be true to the faith are being labelled as conservative. There is the cancel culture that seeks to silence those whose voices are not welcome by the liberals. This is because, as the Lord said, “They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world, and for their sake I consecrate myself so that they too may be consecrated in truth.”
Indeed, we can never feel too secure even within the Church, for as St Paul warned the elders of the Church of Ephesus, “Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the overseers, to feed the Church of God which he bought with his own blood. I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves will invade you and will have no mercy on the flock. Even from your own ranks there will be men coming forward with a travesty of the truth on their lips to induce the disciples to follow them.” Within our own ranks in the Church today, leaders, whether clerical or lay, are creating so much confusion as to what is the right teaching of the Church and the appropriate pastoral approach to take. When the Church is no longer united in her doctrinal and moral positions, the Church will eventually collapse because we are no longer united in doctrines, in morals, in authority and in fellowship. The Church is facing one of the biggest challenges in seeking to preserve the unity among Catholics. Never have we seen the Catholic Church, long known for her fidelity to the gospel values and even appreciated by Protestants for standing firm in our doctrines, being put into question. The Catholic Church, unfortunately, has become fragmented, like the Protestant Churches, because of disagreement among leaders on right doctrines and right practices.
This is why we need to pray for divine protection for our Church leaders. The first people that the Evil One will attack are the leaders. Already, we have seen so many Church leaders fall because of scandals. Even our cardinals and bishops are not spared. With scandals and confusing messages regarding the teaching of the Church abounding, we are making ourselves more and more susceptible to the attacks of the Evil One who now works from within. If our enemies are just from outside, we can easily defeat them. But the truth is that our enemies are working from within us. Our people who are seeking for truth can no longer say confidently that what the Church is teaching is true. Our Church has lost so much credibility because we no longer stand as one, Holy, Catholic Church. This is truly sad because as St Paul said, “the church of the living God is the pillar and bulwark of the truth.” (1 Tim 3:15) We have never been so divided before in the history of the Church, especially among religious leaders, and not just among our peoples.
If St Paul were here today, he would no doubt have felt the same as he did when he was addressing the elders of the Church of Ephesus. We must pray for the Church and her leaders; that God will shield them from the lies and deceptions of the Evil One. St Paul led by example when he told the elders, “So be on your guard, remembering how night and day for three years I never failed to keep you right, shedding tears over each one of you. And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace that has power to build you up and to give you your inheritance among all the sanctified.” Indeed, there is a call for repentance, conversion, penance and prayers. Even our Lord in the gospel interceded for the Church at the end of His life. Raising His eyes to heaven, He said, “Holy Father, keep those you have given me true to your name, so that they may be one like us. While I was with them, I kept those you had given me true to your name. I have watched over them and not one is lost except the one who chose to be lost, and this was to fulfil the scriptures.” St Paul gathered the Christians and prayed together to safeguard the Church of Christ. “When he had finished speaking he knelt down with them all and prayed.”
As Church, we pray that conversion will begin from the highest level of the hierarchy to the lowest levels of the Church. Cardinals, Bishops, priests and the laity need humility, conversion of heart and a docility to listen to the Gospel anew. We must never forget the tradition that has been handed down to the Church. Being faithful to the tradition and the Gospel as taught in the scripture is not to be seen as being rigid. Of course, we must be careful not to go to the other extreme of being traditionalists, that is to say, keeping the traditions, the practices of the faith which are not essential to the gospel. What we must hold on to are those central doctrines of our faith and morals that were taught by our Lord and which cannot be compromised to suit our modern times.
But it is not enough just to pray for the Church, we must walk the way. St Paul was truly an exemplary shepherd of the flock of Christ. He was not afraid to speak His mind. He spoke the truth when it was required. He made it clear even at the expense of making those who heard him uncomfortable when he said that from among themselves will arise fierce wolves attacking the sheep of Christ. He made it a point to demonstrate his sincerity in watching after them. He said, “I have never asked anyone for money or clothes; you know for yourselves that the work I did earned enough to meet my needs and those of my companions. I did this to show you that is how we must exert ourselves to support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, who himself said, ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.'”
St Paul demonstrated in his own life that he had nothing to gain from his ministry. His utter concern was for the greater good and salvation of the people. He was not thinking about himself but put himself at their service. St Paul worked without self-interest, not for his glory, not for recognition or popular acceptance by others. Indeed, there is no greater legacy we can leave behind for our people than to inspire them to walk faithfully in the way of the gospel. St Luke noted this and explained that “they were all in tears; they put their arms round Paul’s neck and kissed him; what saddened them most was his saying they would never see his face again.” St Paul did not build a kingdom for himself. He did his job and bid farewell.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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