Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:8-12; Psalm
118; 1 John 3:1-2; John 10:11-18
A hired man, who is
not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves
the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no
concern for the sheep.
John 10:12, 13
“It is not pastoral to confirm someone in mortal sin!” So said then Fr. John Corapi. Leaving aside the controversy that sprang up
around him, the quote still rings true.
It captures in a soundbite what our Lord is teaching us today in the
Gospel.
Today we celebrate “Good Shepherd Sunday”, named for our
Gospel reading. This theme is always
taken on the Fourth Sunday of Easter. To
say our Lord Jesus is the Good Shepherd is to say many things. It means that He lovingly watches over us and
guides us as a shepherd does with his sheep.
It also means He provides for us and protects us. It’s this latter part I want to focus on
today.
When a true shepherd saw a wolf, a lion, a bear, or
marauders coming to steal or kill the sheep the good shepherd would risk his
life to do battle and drive away the threat.
As our Lord points out to us today, the false shepherd does the
opposite. He runs when he sees the
threat because he is a mere hireling. He
has not taken the sheep to heart. They
are a mere means of his income. Or, to
put it another way, he is only interested in what the sheep can do for him, not
what he must do for the sheep.
In our day we are desperately in need of good shepherds, be
they parents, teachers, priests, bishops, or theologians. However, too often we find that the shepherds
are not interested in truly caring for the sheep. They are more interested in their own
reputation, their careers, or gain, be it financial, political, or positional.
There are great moral controversies assailing the faithful
of our day. We are in need of our
leaders to issue clear, concise, and concrete statements to safely guide us
through the moral morass we so often face.
The Catholic Church has repeatedly addressed these issues and her
teaching is incapable of changing since it is the truth. Truth is not up for vote. It doesn’t waver at the latest release of
opinion polls. It is not molded by time
and circumstance. While it may be
applied variously in different contexts and it may be developed into deeper
understanding, it cannot possibly become the opposite of what it always has
been. Such moral truths include the
following:
- That sexual relations are only blessed by God within a
monogamous marriage between a man and a woman.
Everything outside of this is grave sin and becomes mortal to the soul
of the individual when they enter into it with full knowledge and willful
consent.
- That said married couples are to always be open to life in
every sexual encounter. The use of
contraception is also a grave evil.
- That remarriage after divorce constitutes a state of
public and perpetual adultery if the previous marriage or marriages were deemed
valid in the eyes of the Church and the former spouse[s] remain alive.
- That abortion for any reason is to murder the developing
child. Every Christian and others of
good will should work tirelessly for its complete elimination from our laws.
- That those who are struggling with homosexual attractions
and gender identity must be told the truth of God’s word, which is that He has
created us male and female and that our bodies are part of our identity and God
makes no mistakes. Furthermore, that His
love is not diminished for those in these situations and they, along with all
other people, continue to reflect the image and likeness of God. Let us pastorally guide them to chastity and
the acceptance of their identity in Christ.
These are some of the most prominent issues facing us
today. We need our clergy and other
leaders, especially our bishops, to be plainly outspoken in these areas to
provide the encouragement and reinforcement necessary to aid us in living out
our calling as a holy people.
Let me pause at this point to address our clergy. My dear fathers, we need you to be holy; men
of God, unfazed and unafraid in the face of these moral controversies. I plead with you, guide us safely in the
footsteps of our Lord. Are you
praying? St. John Vianney, the patron
saint of parish priests, gave himself to hours of prayer and penance for the salvation
of his parish. Are you doing the
same? At a minimum, you have taken vows
to pray all of the divine office for the sake of the Church and the world. Are you continuing in that commitment? In addition, we need you to undertake a holy
hour. Both Archbishop Fulton Sheen and
St. Padre Pio exhort you to this. Please
heed their exhortation. Remember the
priority of the apostles, whose sons in the faith you are- “It is not right
that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brethren, pick out from among you
seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint
to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the
word,” [Acts 6:2-4]. Find deacons or
faithful laypeople to handle the administrative duties. Shed yourselves of the image that you are spiritual
CEO’s. Return to the priority of prayer
and the ministry of the word.
For the rest of us, we must be faithful. Whether we have good and faithful shepherds
or not, we must walk in the way our Lord has given us. We will be judged on the basis of our own
souls, not those who led us. Be sure
that you can give a good account in that day.
One final note: in our first reading we hear St. Peter
state, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name
under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved.” Only our Lord Jesus Christ is the way to
eternal salvation. Let us leave to God
what may happen with those who did not overtly believe because they lacked
sufficient understanding. For our part,
let us be quick and faithful to obey what has been given to us, and let us
preach boldly and faithfully this message.
It remains the sure and certain means by which we can be saved.
In the final analysis, each one of us is called to follow
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, and imitate Him. We must do so for our own good, but also for
the good of others around us, especially those entrusted to our care. Then be good shepherd my friends! Fear not the backlash of an angry world. Their castigations and penalties are momentary…
even if they last a lifetime. In the
face of eternity, even one hundred years of life would be a mere blip. Then steel yourself for the battle and
entrust yourself to the true Shepherd of your soul. You will not be ashamed in the last day. Instead you will hear the commendation of the
Good Shepherd: “Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest!”
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