FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
17 APRIL 2016
Jesus
speaks on the occasion of the Dedication of the Temple (known as Hanukah
today). This feast celebrated the
rededication of the Temple after it had been desecrated by the Greek invaders,
who had turned it into a gymnasium. In
celebrating this feast, people remember the martyrs who gave their lives for
the flock in contrast to the religious leaders who had been corrupt and had
been more interested in taking care of themselves. This feast celebrates the gathering of God’s
people into one flock, after they had been scattered.
In the
passage just before our Gospel today, Jesus uses the imagery of Psalm 23 to
reveal himself as the Good Shepherd. Like the Maccabees who had laid down their
lives to expel the Greeks, and like those shepherds who laid down to become the
gates of the sheepfolds carved into the hills, he will lay down his life for
the flock. He will become the Lamb of
God sacrificed for the good of the flock.
In that sacrifice, he knows each of us by name and draws us into such an
intimate relationship with him that even death cannot destroy that bond.
This Gospel
passage is the shortest passage read at Mass all year. In these very brief words, Jesus, the Good
Shepherd, explains our response. All we
have to do is to listen to his voice and follow him. We have just heard his voice in the Word of
God. In the Acts of the Apostles, we are
given the example of Paul and Barnabas, who faithfully proclaim that Word, even
when they meet rejection and failure. In
the Book of Revelation, we are given a vision of those who enjoy the intimate
relationship promised by the Good Shepherd to those who have persevered and
remained faithful. We hear the voice of
the Good Shepherd in the teachings of the successors of the Apostles, our
bishops in union with the Pope. We hear
the voice of the Good Shepherd when we listen to those people who know us well
and keep our best interests in their hearts.
We hear the voice of the Good Shepherd when we listen to a well formed
conscience and make decisions in conformity to that conscience. When we listen carefully to the voice of the
Good Shepherd, we also know the way in which we can follow him.
This
morning, we have some very special members of the flock of Jesus Christ. Our second graders have listened to the voice
of the Good Shepherd when they have gathered for Mass. They have listened to their teachers
presenting the teachings of the Good Shepherd developed by the successors of
the Apostles over centuries. They have
listened to their parents and know the special love which their parents have
for them. With our guidance, they
continue to form their consciences, applying what they learn to the situations
of their daily lives.
Like that
great multitude of every nation, race, people and tongue surrounding the throne
of the Lamb, they are clothed with the white garments first given to them when
they were baptized. At that time, the
Good Shepherd called them by name and incorporated them into himself and the
body of his Church. Today, the Good
Shepherd calls them by name to renew their baptismal promises and invites them
for the first time to receive his Body and Blood under the form of bread and
wine.
Boys and
girls, your parents carried you to meet the Good Shepherd for the first time
when you were baptized. Now, you walk on
your own two legs to renew your promises.
We thank you for your faith in the Good Shepherd’s real presence in the
Eucharist. We thank you for reminding us
that we can never take this gift for granted, because it leads us to eternal
life. We promise you to continue to
teach you by our words and example how to listen to the voice of the Good
Shepherd. Fed by the Body and Blood of
Christ, you will learn to follow the Good Shepherd, knowing that you belong to
the flock which he tends.
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