FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
22 APRIL 2018
Throughout
the Gospel of Saint John, Jesus often uses the words “I am” to identify himself
with his divine nature. In the Old
Testament, God used those words “Yahweh,” or “I am who am” to identify himself
to Moses. In most instances, Jesus
speaks of himself as the bread of life, or the light of the world, or the
resurrection and the life to indicate what he, as the Son of God, has to offer
us. Today, he identifies himself in a
human role when he says that “I am the good shepherd.” To a culture which understood the role of
good shepherds with their flocks, he speaks of his own costly freedom, as well
as his mutual relationship with the Father and with us, his followers. The people of that culture knew the devotion
of good shepherds to their sheep. They
also knew the examples of shepherd leaders who cared more for themselves and
their own comfort than for the common good of the people they were supposed to
be leading.
Jesus speaks this parable to the
religious leaders of his day. He had
just given sight to the man born blind.
As that man gradually came to see Jesus as the Christ who is the light
of the world, the religious leaders refuse to acknowledge the truth standing
before them. They are the hired hands
who are much more interested in the prestige and perks of their office than
serving the needs of their people. They
will become the wolves who bring death to the good shepherd, because he threatens
their authority and influence. The good
shepherd will willingly accept that painful and humiliating death and lay down
his life for us, his flock.
The image of the good shepherd is
familiar to our parish. At the entrance
to the Parish Education Center is a copy of the most ancient statue of the Good
Shepherd: a young shepherd, without a
beard, dressed in a short tunic, and with a pouch around his neck. On his shoulders he carries a lamb. The other image is on our triumphal
arch: the Good Shepherd seated on his
heavenly throne, drawing the sheep to himself from Bethlehem (on the left) and
from Jerusalem (on the right). Beneath
that image on both sides are images of two religious leaders who have served as
shepherds. On the left is Saint Peter,
who has been transformed from denying Jesus on the night he was betrayed to
boldly proclaiming the resurrection in the first reading from the Acts of the
Apostles. On the right is Pope Saint
Pius X, a successor to Saint Peter, who decided to admit children to the
Eucharist when they reached the age of reason.
That is why you are here, boy and
girls. You became children of God when you
passed through the waters of baptism.
The Good Shepherd knows each of you by name and has laid down his life
for you. He has become the Lamb of God
(portrayed in the mosaic on the front of the Altar) who now feeds you for the
first time with his Body and Blood. When
you were baptized, your parents, who are your shepherds, carried you to the
font and made the baptismal promises for you.
When you emerged from the waters of Baptism, you were clothed with a
white garment, indicating that you put on Christ. Your parents were told to keep that garment
unstained, so that you could go out to meet the Lord. Now you will walk on your own two feet to
renew those promises and bring up gifts of bread and wine.
Celebrating First Communion at this
Mass is very important, because we are reminded of the important role of this
parish community in supporting you parents in training your children in the
ways of faith. Parents, you are good shepherds
when you sacrifice everything for the good of your children. Just as you sacrifice for their material
needs, be sure to sacrifice for their spiritual needs. The first Letter of Saint John assures us
that children of God can be transformed by contact with the risen Lord, just as
Peter had been. Trust the power of the
Eucharist to transform your family and your children in our shared pilgrimage
to the new and eternal Jerusalem.
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