FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER – YEAR C

 

IT’S NICE TO BE CARRIED, BUT BY WHOM

  

Beginning in the third century A.D. (not before), the image of Christ the Shepherd with a sheep on his shoulders or surrounded by his flock often appeared in the catacombs. It is a scene meant to depict the confidence and serenity with which the believer crosses the dark valley of death, supported or guided by his Lord.

But it is not only when one leaves this world that the disciples entrust to the arms of his Shepherd. This is only the last moment, when it becomes clear that all those who, during their lives posed as shepherds, but preached doctrines opposed to those of Christ, were only mercenaries, peddlers of illusions. At the decisive moment, they are forced to declare their inability to help.

The disciple accepts to be accompanied by the good Shepherd in every moment of his life. Letting oneself be carried away is a less comfortable choice than it seems. It presupposes the courage to entrust one’s life to Christ without letting oneself be dismayed when one does not understand where he is going and where he wants to lead. It also means resisting the flattery of pseudo-pastors who, in reality, are thieves and robbers whose only objective (often not even conscious) is self-affirmation and the search for their own advantage.

 

• To internalize the message, we repeat:

“Even if I am led through dark valleys, I will fear no evil.”

 

First Reading: Acts 13:14.43-52

Paul and Barnabas continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats. Many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.

On the following Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. 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 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. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. —The Word of the Lord.

 

Today’s liturgy of the Word opens with a passage taken from the account of the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas. On a Saturday, these two apostles arrived in Antioch of Pisidia and, as they were wont to do, they entered the synagogue of the Jews and began to announce the Good News of Jesus (v. 14). Their message impresses, surprises, or better, literally shocks their listeners, fervent Jews, educated according to the traditions of their fathers, faithful observers of the law. They are familiar with the oracles of the prophets and live in expectation of the Messiah. Yet, they are disconcerted and astounded when, from the mouths of Paul and Barnabas, they hear a scandalous message: Jesus, condemned by the religious authorities and executed with an infamous punishment, is the savior of the world. It is unheard of! They cannot help but think: ‘perhaps we have misunderstood.’ That is why on the following Saturday, they flock in even greater numbers (vv. 44).

Throughout the week, they reflect on what they have heard and conclude that Paul and Barnabas have said is blasphemous, an insult to God. After having given so many proofs of strength during the exodus, he cannot now make himself ridiculous and despicable in the eyes of the people by sending a defeated and condemned messiah. They feel compelled to defend the purity of their faith. They are not bad, malicious, dishonest people; their religious mentality simply conditions them. They are not willing to question their certainties. They do not even remotely imagine that the Lord may have some surprise or some novelty (v.45).

The two apostles, with frankness, re-propose their message without letting themselves be discouraged by the rejection or intimidated by the opposition of the most devout people. On the contrary, they see in this lack of adherence to the faith on the part of some an invitation to address the pagans. Thus, Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled: light and salvation are for all peoples and must reach “to the ends of the earth” (vv. 46-47).

However, not everyone closes his mind and heart. Many, both Jews and pagans, hear God’s call to conversion and choose the path of salvation. Thus “they embraced the faith all who were destined for eternal life” (v. 48). This is not predestination to heaven for some and eternal damnation for others. Eternal life is not entered when one dies, but the moment one adheres to faith and accepts God’s Messiah. Some, in complete good faith, without realizing what they are losing, consider this faith absurd and reject it. Those who accept it instead, from the beginning, are in eternal life. In the end, no one will be excluded. The author of the Acts of the Apostles notes only that, because of the mysterious mechanisms that regulate and condition people’s freedom, some arrive first to life. The others will certainly arrive, even if later.

 The fact that God’s promises and blessings are also offered to the pagans is even more disturbing to the Jews who are loyal to their traditions and, since words are not enough to stop events, they resort to abuse. Among the members of their community, some women of the nobility have husbands or sons employed in key positions in the administrative apparatus of the city. These women obtain that the two apostles be removed (v. 50).

The episode recalls an identical event that happened to Jesus at the beginning of his public life. As soon as he began to preach in Nazareth, he too was expelled from the synagogue and even risked being lynched by those who had gathered to pray. His fellow villagers believed that they were exemplary religious people; they were convinced that they had already understood everything about God, they could not accept that Jesus questioned their religious certainty and showed them that they understood very little of the sacred Scriptures (Lk 4:16-29). If Jesus and the apostles were persecuted, it is no wonder that no authentic preacher of the Gospel is left quiet and meets with no opponents.

After recalling that Paul and Barnabas were forced to go to Iconium (v. 51), the passage concludes with a curious note: the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit (v. 52). It is strange: the wicked had their way, the two apostles had to leave defeated, and the Christians of Antioch of Pisidia, instead of being sad, were full of joy!

Joy can also coexist with tears, with disappointed hopes, with the pain of injustice suffered. Both the wicked who oppose the truth and fight against those who proclaim the Gospel and the righteous will not be able to experience this joy if they do not rid their hearts of resentment against those who persecute them.

 

Second Reading: Revelation 7:9,14b-17

I, John, had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.

Then one of the elders said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

“For this reason they stand before God’s throne and worship 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 center 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.” —The Word of the Lord.

 

How many sorrows, how many tribulations, how many bitternesses in a person’s life! When we see so many innocent people suffering, becoming victims of violence, betrayal, deception, we desperately look for a reason, but often we do not find it. The book of Revelation devotes four chapters to this distressing problem (Rev 5–8). It says that, in the heavens, there is a book in which an angel has taken note of all the sufferings and tears of people. In this book is also told why so many incredible and absurd things happen. Unfortunately, however, the book is closed with seven seals that no one can break; this is why people weep: they feel as if they were at the mercy of a blind destiny and cannot find an explanation for the dramas afflict them.

So, do we have no hope of finding meaning in the history of the world? Will the book that contains the answer to our anguish, to our most profound questions, remain closed forever? The Seer of the Book of Revelation invites everyone to end their weeping: the Lamb—he says—will open the book and break its seals one by one; that is, he will unveil all the enigmas of our existence.

 Today’s passage narrates what happens after the breaking of the sixth seal: “A great multitude that no one can count, people of every race, language, people, and nation appear. All stand before the throne of the Lamb, wearing white robes, and having palms in their hands” (v. 9). The white dress is the symbol of joy and innocence; the palms are the sign of victory. Who are these people? They are those who have endured tribulations and persecutions in this world and have given their lives to their brothers and sisters, as did the Lamb. People have considered them failures, but to God, they are victors (v.14). They “never again will suffer hunger or thirst or be burned by the sun or any scorching wind. For the Lamb … will be their shepherd … and God will wipe away their tears” (vv. 16-17).

There is a strange image in these last verses, “The Lamb will be their shepherd.” How can a lamb also be a shepherd? Yet this is precisely how it is: Jesus became a shepherd, a guide, because, as a lamb, he was immolated, he gave his life out of love.

This page was written to encourage persecuted Christians to persevere with patience and firmness. What happened to Jesus, the Lamb, is being fulfilled in them; if they follow him as one follows a shepherd, they will share in his own victory.

 

Gospel: John 10:27-30

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one.” —The Gospel of the Lord.

 

The land of Israel is mainly mountainous and used for sheep farming. Abel, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and David were herdsmen. It is not surprising, then, that the Bible often contains images of pastoral life. God is called ‘the shepherd of Israel’: he leads his people like a flock, treats them with love and concern, and guides them to abundant pastures and springs of fresh water (Ps 23:1; 80:2). The prophets also announce the Messiah as a shepherd who will shepherd Israel: “Behold, I will appoint shepherds over them to shepherd them…I will raise up to David a righteous shoot, who will reign as a true king, and will be wise and exercise right and justice” (Jer 23:1-6; Ezk 34).

Jesus refers to this image when one day, as he stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd that had come on foot to hear a word of hope from him. Mark says: “he was moved by them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mk 6:33-34). In John’s Gospel, Jesus is presented as the awaited shepherd (Jn 10:11,14), as the one who will lead the people along the path of righteousness and faithfulness to the Lord.

The fourth Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday because every year, the liturgy proposes a passage from chapter 10 of John in which Jesus presents himself as the true shepherd. The four verses that we read in today’s Gospel are taken from the concluding part of Jesus’ discourse and are intended to help us deepen our understanding of the meaning of this biblical image.

Let us begin with a clarification: when we speak of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the first image that comes to mind is that of the Master holding a sheep on his shoulders or in his arms. It is true: Jesus is also a good shepherd in the sense that he goes in search of the lost sheep, but this is a reproduction of the parable found in Luke’s Gospel (Lk 15:4-8). The good shepherd spoken of in John’s Gospel has nothing to do with this sweet and tender image. Jesus does not present himself as the one who affectionately caresses the wounded sheep, but as the tough, strong, decisive man who fights against bandits and ferocious animals, as David did who chased the lion and the bear that took away a sheep from his flock, knocked them down and snatched the prey from their mouths (1 Sam 17:34-35). Jesus is a good shepherd because he is not afraid to fight to the point of giving his life for the flock he loves (Jn 10:11).

The first affirmation he makes is powerful: “My sheep—he says—will never be lost and no one will take them from my hand (v.28). Their salvation is guaranteed not by their obedience, fidelity but by his initiative, courage, free and unconditional love. This is a significant announcement! This is the good news that comes from Easter and that the Christian must communicate to every person. Even to those who have done everything wrong in life, he must assure them: your miseries, your shortcomings, your death choices will not succeed in defeating the love of Christ.

The second image, the sheep, must be clarified because it can provoke a certain unease. Who is the flock that follows the “good shepherd”? Perhaps someone would answer spontaneously: ‘The laity who meekly accept and put into practice all the dispositions given by the clergy.’ Shepherds would therefore be the ecclesial hierarchies, while sheep would be the simple faithful.

Let us clarify: the only shepherd is Christ, and he is so because—as we pointed out in the second reading—he is the Lamb who sacrificed his life. His sheep are all those who dare to follow him in this gift of life. The shepherd is, therefore, a Lamb who shares in everything the fate of the flock.

There is another misunderstanding that should be cleared, that of identifying oneself with the flock of Christ. There are shadowy areas in the Church that exclude themselves from the Kingdom of God because sin is present in them, while there are enormous margins beyond the confines of the Church that is part of the Kingdom of God because the Spirit is at work there. The action of the Spirit is manifested in the impulse to give one’s life for one’s brother or sister: “He who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him” (1 Jn 4:16).

A disciple of the Good Shepherd can also be someone who, although not knowing Christ, sacrifices himself for the poor, practices justice, fraternity, sharing of goods, hospitality, fidelity, sincerity, rejection of violence, the forgiveness of enemies, commitment to peace. This should alert many Christians who are lulled into self-satisfaction that could ultimately prove to be tragic illusions. The Pastor might one day unexpectedly say to more than one person: “I do not know you; I do not know where you are from” (Lk 13:25). The ostentation of security, the preconceived mistrust of members of other religions, and prejudices against non-believers are still today as deep-rooted and pernicious as false irenicism.

How does one become a member of the flock that follows Jesus? What happens to the sheep who are faithful to him? Today’s Gospel affirms that it is not we who take the initiative to follow him; it is he who calls: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (v. 27).

Jesus’ disciples live in this world; they live among people. They hear many calls and also receive misleading messages. Many pose as shepherds, who promise life, well-being, happiness and invite us to follow them. It is easy to be deceived by charlatans. How to recognize among so many voices that of the true Shepherd? It is necessary to accustom your ear to it. Whoever listens only for five minutes to a person and then does not hear him again for a year will hardly be able to distinguish his voice in the crowd. Those who listen to the Gospel only once a year will not learn to recognize the voice of the Lord speaking.

It is not easy to trust Jesus because he does not promise successes, triumphs, victories, as all the other shepherds do. He asks for the gift of self; he demands the renunciation of the search for one’s advantage; he asks for sacrificing one’s life. Yet—he assures us—this is the only path that leads to eternal life (vv. 28-29). There are no shortcuts; whoever indicates other paths is cheating and leads to death.

The passage ends with the words of Jesus: “The Father and I are one” (v.30). This somewhat abstract phrase indicates the path to follow to reach unity with God: it is necessary to become ‘one’ with Christ. This means that one must reach a unity of thought, intentions, and actions within oneself.

This statement makes us reflect on the ministry of those called to ‘shepherd’ the flock of Christ. At times one notices in the Christian community a certain tension between those who, in not very exact terms, are called: clergy and laity. Some say that the latter must be united with their ‘shepherds’; others say that the latter must be united with the people of God. Perhaps it is more correct to think that all the people of God, laity and clergy, must follow together with the one Shepherd who is Jesus and become ‘one’ with the Father.