FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
12 MAY 2019
The
artwork in our church provides a picture of today’s Gospel. The Good Shepherd is seated at the top of our
triumphal arch. He stretches out his
hands to welcome the sheep coming to him from Bethlehem and Jerusalem. It is obvious that he knows each of the sheep
by name and that each of them knows and trusts him, especially the sheep
resting on his lap. He has also chosen
human shepherds to tend his flock: the
image on the right keeping the sheep from the wolf and the thicket; and the
image on the left allowing the repentant and forgiven Simon Peter to tend his
flock with love and care.
As part of
their preparation for First Holy Communion, our second graders spent an entire
Saturday at the parish on a retreat.
They went through several stations, all designed to help them understand
better the Sacrament that they are receiving today. Margaret Derbiszewski and I did our session
on the Liturgy of the Word. I read the
Gospel of the Good Shepherd, and Margaret explained the close relationship
between shepherds and sheep that she observed in her native Poland. We acted out a day in the life of sheep and
shepherds. Each child had a role: some dressed as shepherds, others as sheep,
while others dressed as thieves or wolves.
The chief shepherd lay down at the entrance to the sheepfold to demonstrate
how good shepherds lay down their lives for their sheep. If a thief or a wolf tried to sneak in, the
shepherd would wake up and drive them away.
We ended by talking about the mystery that Jesus, the Good Shepherd has laid
down his life for us and has become the Lamb of God, who has won the victory
over the thieves of sin and death. We
connected that Lamb of God with the Eucharist for which they have been
hungering and thirsting for a long time.
Boys and
girls, you became sheep of the Lord’s flock when your parents carried you to
the waters of baptism. Along with your
godparents, they made promises for you.
In your name, they promised to resist the lies and wickedness of the
Devil. They promised to teach you to
believe in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. They clothed you with a white garment to show
that you had put on Christ. They
promised to help you keep that garment unstained until the Lord comes. In just a few minutes, you will walk on your
own two feet to the Baptismal Font wearing those white garments that speak of
your Baptism. You will renew those
promises on your own, bless yourselves with holy water, and bring up gifts of
bread and wine. Then, for the first
time, you will be fed with the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
This is a
perfect Sunday for these young people to receive their First Communion. In their eagerness and uncomplicated faith,
they remind the rest of us that the Sunday Eucharist is an incredible gift we
can sometimes take for granted. Or they
might also remind us that we need to put the celebration of this gift as a
higher priority in our busy lives. The
lamb on the front of our Altar reminds us of the Mystery expressed in the
second reading from the Book of Revelation.
Jesus Christ is that Lamb that was slain. The victory of that vulnerable Lamb has
destroyed the power of sin and death.
Like those countless men and women
whose robes were washed white by the blood of the Lamb, we draw strength by
participating in the Eucharist to continue to be human shepherds for these
children. That is what Paul and Barnabas
are doing with such energy and enthusiasm in the Acts of the Apostles. That is our task today. We teach our children by word and example the
sacrificial love of Jesus Christ. In
doing that, we commit ourselves to living the faith that these children so
beautifully express today.
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