Fourth Sunday of Easter May 08, 2022
Good Shepherd Sunday/Vocation Sunday
Acts 13:14, 43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30
A shepherd boy was tending a few sheep on the side of a mountain. One day while wandering in the wilderness, he came to a huge cave. There was a door to the cave and it was closed. And as he was looking around, he noticed a very beautiful flower. The boy knelt down and pulled out the flower in his hands. He was admiring it when suddenly there was a loud noise. He looked up and saw the doors to the cave opening up right before his eyes. There were bright lights that shine from the inside of the mountain. With the flower in his hands, the shepherd boy rushed inside. And his eyes widened because he saw piles of sparkling gold, diamonds, precious stones and jewellery. He began to gather them in his arms. Finally, the boy turned and started to leave the cave. Suddenly a voice said to him, "Don’t forget the best." Thinking that perhaps he had overlooked some choice piece of treasure, the boy turned around and quickly picked up additional pieces of priceless treasure. As he began to run out of the mountain cave the voice said, "Don’t forget the best." But the boy’s arms were filled, and he hurried outside. All of a sudden, there was a loud noise. The boy looked around and saw the mountain cave closing its doors. A third time the shepherd boy heard the voice, and this time it said, "You forgot the best. For the beautiful flower is the key to the vault of the mountain."
Today is the Good Shepherd Sunday and the Vocation Sunday. We have the popular pictures of Jesus the Good Shepherd carrying a sheep over his shoulders, or we have a smiling Jesus sitting under a tree, with a little lamb on his lap. This image of the shepherd appeals to us because it shows the tenderness of Jesus and his compassion. As his sheep we have to be attentive to his voice.
In the gospel reading Jesus identifies himself as the shepherd: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). His Jewish listeners must have gasped in shock to hear him say that. This is because, for Jews, the shepherd of the flock of Israel is none other than the Lord God himself (Psalm 23:1). Jesus went on to make explicit what is implied in his claim to be the shepherd of the God’s flock when he said, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30). That the Father sent Jesus and delegated him with full authority to act in His name is only half of the story. The other half of the story is that Jesus in turn delegated his chosen disciples to act with full authority in his name. We see this in the first farewell ceremony with his disciples as recorded by John. He commissions and delegates his disciples in these words:
“Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (John 20:21-23).
Some people today would gasp at the thought of an ordinary human being forgiving the sins of other human beings. The Jews of Jesus’ time also gasped at the thought of their countryman Jesus forgiving the sins of his contemporaries. This does not make much sense when one considers only the human factors involved. But when one looks at it with the eyes of faith, one begins to see that it is God Himself who has taken the initiative to send Jesus and equip him with “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). Similarly, it is Jesus who takes the initiative to call those he chooses: “You did not choose me but I chose you” (John 15:16). And he equips them with the same power of attorney which the Father delegated to him. That is why he could say, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me” (Matthew 10:40). This is the mystery of the call of God.
As we pray today for an increase in vocations let us also pray for a better understanding and appreciation of the life and work of ordained ministers so that more and more people avail themselves of the grace which God makes available through them. Let us also pray that more young people will be drawn to follow in their footsteps and generously answer the call of God.
Happy Sunday
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