Tuesday May 10, 2022

Tuesday of 4th Week in Easter

 

A New Missionary Approach                                        

The Christians of Antioch, the first to be called “Christians” as disciples of Christ, were of two kinds: those Greek-speaking of Jewish origin, who had fled to Antioch from the persecuted Church in Jerusalem. They communicated their faith to their fellow Jews, but they must have spoken of their faith in Christ also to some people of pagan roots who accepted Christ, now no longer as the promised Messiah but as the Lord of all. This placed the Church in a dilemma. Were these marginal Christians only second-class followers of Christ? Barnabas, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognized God’s grace at work in them. Where the official Church of Jerusalem hesitates, Barnabas reads the signs of the times. To him, it is God’s will that these people accept Christ as their Lord. He faces and solves the missionary problems locally and is not afraid to go new ways.

 

First Reading: Acts 11:19-26 

Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by Stephen’s death travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and dealing with their fellow Jews. Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus. God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it—quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master.

When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.

Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

 

Gospel: John 10:22-30 

They were celebrating Hanukkah just then in Jerusalem. It was winter. Jesus was strolling in the Temple across Solomon’s Porch. The Jews, circling him, said, “How long are you going to keep us guessing? If you’re the Messiah, tell us straight out.”

Jesus answered, “I told you, but you don’t believe. Everything I have done has been authorized by my Father, actions that speak louder than words. You don’t believe because you’re not my sheep. My sheep recognize my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them real and eternal life. They are protected from the Destroyer for good. No one can steal them from out of my hand. The Father who put them under my care is so much greater than the Destroyer and Thief. No one could ever get them away from him. I and the Father are one heart and mind.”

 

Prayer

Lord God, our Father,
the Spirit of Jesus calls us, as he called your Son,
to abandon our old selves and our old world
to be free for new life and growth.
Forgive us our fear and hesitations,
lead us out of our worn-out phrases and habits,
and our self-made certainties,
steep us in the Gospel of your Son,
that his Good News may become credible
in our times and our world.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:
Listen, Understand, Assimilate and Carryout
“If you really are the Messiah, tell us so in plain words!” Here the Jews were facing difficulty accepting Jesus because he did not correspond to the Messiah or the Christ of their understanding and imagination. They were aware of the extraordinary powers that Jesus had, and that ordinary people flocked to him to listen to him. And now, Jesus is identifying himself as a shepherd, and this raises concern for the religious leaders.

With their understanding of the scripture, the religious leadership expected a king who would shepherd his people after the model of David. King David, who had been a shepherd before being anointed the king, was lovingly regarded as the greatest Shepherd-King. The Jewish leadership who questioned Jesus had a good knowledge of the Prophets and the Psalms, and therefore, they indeed suspected the claim of Jesus to be the shepherd: Would he be the Messiah the scriptures have foretold? But the problem was that they were unwilling to accept a messiah who did not conform to their imagination and understanding.

Misconceptions about Jesus could be a massive hindrance to people’s faith in God. How often do we hear people complain that they do not want to believe in a God who does not answer their prayers or in a God who allowed misfortunes and tragedies to happen? They would prefer to believe in a God who conforms to their idea of God.

Once again, Jesus emphasises the requirement of listening: “My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me.” Listening to the voice of God – the Word of God – seems to be the paramount requirement to belong to Jesus. In the Gospels, the term “hear” means to listen, understand, assimilate, and carry out what is heard.

Who are the people who listened to this voice of the shepherd and followed? His chosen disciples and the people who accompanied him … listened to his voice and allowed his words to make amends in their lives. And to them, Jesus assures their reward: they are already in eternal life with God, and that they will not perish to eternity. Safe in the hand of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, the disciples are safe in the Father’s hand, the original shepherd of Israel [Ezekiel 34:15]. Remember, Jesus had given a similar assurance when he talked about the bread of life [Jn 6:37, 39]: “Whoever eats this bread will never die.”

As always, the Words of Jesus evoke two types of reactions – some believe, and others do not. Faith comes from listening… when you don’t listen, there cannot have faith in Jesus.

 

Video available on Youtube: Listen, Understand, Assimilate and Carryout