FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER "C"

                  FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

                     Cycle “C”:  John 10, 27 – 30:

                 The Voice of the Good Shepherd

In the days of Jesus, the domestic animals, especially sheep, were kept in enclosures that were walled all around with no roof and only one door. There could be several flocks belonging to different shepherds in one enclosure or sheep pen. The job of the gatekeeper was to open the gate to the shepherd. Safe within the walls the sheep were protected from attacks by robbers and wild beasts. A shepherd used his voice to lead his own flock of sheep. He led them rather than driving them. He called out only his own sheep. They recognized his voice and followed. Attuned to the tone, pitch and resonance of only his voice, they ran away from any other. Now sheep are not especially renowned for their intelligence; why otherwise would we call somebody a “muttonhead?” Easily led astray and prone to wander, their very survival depended on having a good shepherd.

Jesus adopted this striking imagery to teach us about ourselves. In some ways we may be like sheep, knocked off course, led down dark alleys and listening to voices other than the Lord’s. With so many false signals from the media flying around our heads, recognizing the voice of the Shepherd is crucial to our survival. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, leads us by the voice of conscience, the Word of Holy Scripture, and the teaching of the Church. Let us not cut corners on our integrity in response to false signals.

So today we are invited to discover and renew our experience of the shepherding of Jesus. Since most of us live in an urban environment, the image of the shepherd may not particularly evocative for us. Perhaps in the countryside there is a similarity to the biblical shepherd who was in close personal contact with his sheep. He spent his time with his flock, personally protecting them from marauding dacoits and ravaging wolves. The shepherd also led the flock to fresh pasture when food was exhausted. It is not uncommon for visitors to the Holy Land to be excited with fresh when they see Bedouin shepherds leading a long line of sheep down a hillside.

Let me tell you about a certain Fr. Airey, an Australian priest still active in his ministry in his country. Australia is a vast country, and Fr. Airey was appointed to a country parish that had a large estate. So he thought he’d rear sheep in his spare time.

He bought 12 lambs and cared for them personally. Twelve lambs were probably a throwback to the 12 apostles, though I’m not insinuating that the 12 apostles were muttonheads! Fr. Airey even gave names to his twelve sheep, like Bo-Bo and Bunty. But one sad morning a huge flock of a thousand sheep overran his estate. His twelve were caught and lost in the crowd and were carried away by the mass of a thousand sheep. Fr. Airey was naturally disconsolate. Some weeks later another enormous batch of sheep entered his parish grounds. He was horrified, but he got an idea. He walked right into the crowd and began calling out the names of his twelve sheep. “Bo-Bo, Bunty, ScoobyDo, where are you?” Imagine his surprise and joy when every one of those twelve broke through the crowd, came right up to him and began rubbing their snouts and sides on his hands and legs. They recognised their shepherd’s voice!

Today’s Gospel reading opens to us some of the characteristics of our relationship with Jesus, which find echoes in our own experience. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life.”

This is our destiny – to believe in Jesus and receive eternal life from him. Nonetheless, we can be somewhat vague about what eternal life is. Jesus makes eternal life very clear to us: “and this is eternal life that they may know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent”(John 17,3). Therefore, eternal life is living in fellowship and communion with the Blessed Trinity – knowing and loving God as our Father; loving and following the Father’s Son as disciples, and being filled with the life, love and power of God, the Holy Spirit. Eternal life is being washed clean in the Blood of the Lamb with all our sins forgiven (Rev. 7,14). Eternal life is living in the presence of the Father and the Son on this earth and then, after our death, in heaven with our brothers and sisters, when we shall be “before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple” (Rev. 7,15). Eternal life is being with God, sheltered within his presence, and never again experiencing hunger or thirst or trials and tribulations (Rev. 7, 15-16). Eternal life is being led by Christ our Shepherd to green pastures and springs of living water. Eternal life is being comforted by God, who wipes away all the tears from our eyes (Rev 7,17). Eternal life is being safe with God forever. As Jesus said, “My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand” (John 10, 29). 

PRAYER:  Gentle and compassionate Jesus, we are your flock and we believe in you and entrust our future to you. Each one of us thanks you for calling us by our names and giving us an identity and a definite direction to our life. We long to hear your voice, especially in times of pain and distress. And we are confident that with our names carved on the palm of your hand you will never, ever forget us. Amen