20260428 AUTHENTIC GROWTH REQUIRES BOTH CONTINUITY AND DEVELOPMENT
28 April 2026, Tuesday, 4th Week of Easter
First reading | Acts 11:19-26 |
They started preaching to the Greeks, proclaiming the Lord Jesus
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.’
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 86(87) |
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!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 10:22-30 |
The Father and I are one
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.’
AUTHENTIC GROWTH REQUIRES BOTH CONTINUITY AND DEVELOPMENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Acts 11:19-26; Ps 87:1-7; John 10:22-30]
How can we grow the Church and the mission? We must take the cue from our Lord Himself. In today’s Gospel, we have the Jews confronting Him at the Feast of Dedication. “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.'” This event was Jesus’ last public teaching before His triumphal entry into Jerusalem for the beginning of His passion. That this question was raised during the Feast of Dedication made it even more sensitive and politically dangerous as this feast was associated with the Maccabean Revolt led by Mattathias to restore the Temple and rededicate it with proper sacrifice after it was desecrated by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
In asking Jesus to affirm His identity, they were trying to confirm if Jesus was the Messiah in the military and political sense. They wanted a clear answer from the Lord because He did not say it plainly that “I am the Messiah” but rather indicated it by His words and actions. Indeed, we see Jesus making claims to His divine Messiahship (it is not just a role but His state of being) by the actions He did. The Feast of Dedication of the Temple alludes to the return of the Lord to His Temple after the desecration by King Antiochus. However, Jesus is implying that He Himself is where God lives. Throughout His ministry, Jesus reclaimed the institutions of Judaism, redefining them as His own. At Cana, He performed the miracle of changing water into wine, and we are told specifically that there were only six jars, because Jesus is the seventh jar for the completion of the Jewish rite of purification. By changing water into wine, Jesus anticipated His own wedding feast. And when He was cleansing the Temple and driving out the traders, Jesus took the opportunity to speak of the Temple in reference to His body. He described Himself as the new manna from heaven, the Light of the World and the living water. Last but not least, He made the Passover His own passage to His Father, offering Himself as the Paschal Lamb for the salvation of His people.
Accordingly, when the Jews wanted an unambiguous statement from Him about His identity, He spoke of His identity in terms of His relationship with the Father. “I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name are my witness. The Father and I are one.” Indeed, it is because Jesus is one with the Father, His claim of oneness with the Father is, in this context, an essentially functional unity. The Father and Son are one in the mission of the Son whose mission is to carry out the will of His Father. The concerns of the Father, therefore, are also the concerns of the Son.
It is within this context that we can appreciate Jesus’ love for the sheep of His Father. The protection of the sheep is the joint work of the Father and the Son. “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.” Jesus will die for the sheep to give them eternal life, as He had said earlier; the Good Shepherd is one who lays down His life for His sheep.
The implication of this unity of action is ultimately inseparable from a unity of persons. To assert that Jesus’ actions are one with the Father is to say that God is acting in and through Him. In other words, He is the Word made flesh. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. To see Him, as He said to Philip, is to see the Father: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.” (Jn 14:9f)
Hence, the underlying problem of the Jews is not the lack of clarity but because of their lack of faith. The root problem is unbelief. The works and teachings of Jesus clearly point to His authority as God’s messenger and Son. This is why the Lord said to them, “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.” Jesus’ authority as God’s messenger and His Son is never in doubt and His sheep could understand all these except for those sheep that do not know Him.
This theme of continuity and development is also underscored in today’s First Reading when the early disciples of our Lord spread the Gospel. We are told that initially, when the Gospel was brought beyond Palestine and into the Gentile world, they were still preaching principally to the Jews. “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.” Until then, they were still thinking that since Jesus is the fulfilment of Judaism, then the Jews must first receive the Good News so that the Kingdom of Israel would be restored.
But beyond this continuity of the message and the direction of the mission, there was also another development. The Holy Spirit opened the hearts and ears of the Gentiles who were also interested in the Gospel. “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 Gentiles, too, were seeking for God, and the proclamation of the Good News to the Gentiles points them to Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
Indeed, when it comes to the growth of the mission and the Gospel, we must be attentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit. It was fortunate that the leadership in Jerusalem was receptive of how the Gospel was being received by the Gentiles. To ensure the continuity of the Gospel and the authenticity of the message, and because they were uncertain of the circumstances, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. He was a good choice to ensure both continuity and accountability in the advancement of the Church’s mission. It was important for Barnabas to see what was actually happening on the ground so that he could provide the right information for the leaders in Jerusalem. The situation was new, and the Gospel required adaptation to a different culture and philosophical background. This remains true today when spreading the Gospel; there is a need for cross-cultural witnessing and inculturation so that the Gospel can speak effectively to the people. What was important was that the leadership in Jerusalem was not only open but also trusting that the developments were in line with the Holy Spirit.
As in the case of our Lord, the works and the results should authenticate the will of the Holy Spirit. So Barnabas gave witness to the growth of the Church; he saw with his own eyes, the faith of the Gentiles. “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.” It was not just the change of lifestyle that he saw, but the spiritual gifts of the people. The fact that their witnessing brought many others into the faith demonstrated that God was working through them and blessing their devotion.
All these would not be possible had the Church clamped down on extending the Gospel to the Gentiles. Barnabas — whose name means “Son of Encouragement” — was filled with such joy at what he saw that he went to Tarsus to bring Saul with him, so that, together, they could strengthen the faith of the Gentiles through proper catechesis, to ensure that they were doctrinally sound as well. Nurturing them together, Barnabas and Paul eventually gave them a proper name. Scripture recounts: “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’.” Having found their new identity as Christians, they freed themselves from the Jewish tradition.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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