Fourth Sunday of Easter
15 May 2011
First reading Acts 2:14,36-41 3
On the day of Pentecost Peter stood up with the Eleven and addressed the crowd in a loud voice: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’
Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.
Psalm or canticle: Psalm 22:1-6
Second reading 1 Peter 2:20-25
The merit, in the sight of God, is in bearing punishment patiently when you are punished after doing your duty.
This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow the way he took. He had not done anything wrong, and there had been no perjury in his mouth. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was tortured he made no threats but he put his trust in the righteous judge. He was bearing our faults in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our faults and live for holiness; through his wounds you have been healed. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have come back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
Gospel John 10:1-10
Jesus said: ‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’
Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.
So Jesus spoke to them again:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold.
All others who have come
are thieves and brigands;
but the sheep took no notice of them.
I am the gate.
Anyone who enters through me will be safe:
he will go freely in and out
and be sure of finding pasture.
The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come
so that they may have life and have it to the full.’
Reflection
By Herminia Jamandri-Flores
“Paging Mrs. Flores, please come to the principal’s office at once.” I was about to take my recess break but the urgent call bade me to obey. Was there something I did or failed to do? Before I reached the office, I saw the guard holding two of my male student. One of them tried to go out of the gate by climbing up the fence and the other one wanted to enter without an ID. What a Monday morning!
The gate is always an interesting place. People outside can enter if allowed by the guard on duty. In most establishments, security requires an ID in order to be allowed entry. In malls, they require inspection of bags to ensure safety of other mall goers. They are also wary about the people going out especially those with large packages. There are closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) installed in gates to further improve security. On the lighter side, the gate is the favorite meeting place of friends going out on a gimmick or of sweethearts on the way to a tête-à-tête. It is a place where people are welcomed and sent off.
During Jesus’ time, the gate of the sheepfold is very narrow and opens only inwards. Somebody must hold the gate open while the sheep are going out. The good shepherd knows the sheep he owns and his flock follows his scent and his voice. In this modern times, there are lots of destructions that we Catholics face. It seems there is another gate which is bigger and more comfortable to pass through. And we are given a choice. Sometimes, the choice is easy. Do I attend Mass or sleep? Oftentimes, it has become a choice between what Jesus wants and what the world offers. Jesus wants us to be faithful to the Word of God and to the teachings of the Church but the company offers triple pay over and above overtime pay if you work 2 shifts on a holiday which falls on a Sunday. That’s a week’s pay for a day’s work! Oh, Jesus will understand.
The boys who had a discourse with the guards were reprimanded by the principal. They were given two days community service and were placed under my close supervision and follow ups with parents. There were others who went through different misbehaviors but they were given second chances… a lot of second chances… and were allowed to enter the gate again.
Jesus is always the kind and understanding Shepherd to us His sheep. He takes the initiative to look for a lost sheep no matter what it takes. He keeps on calling us to enter the narrow gate and to heed His words. But what qualifies us to this sublime calling? We are baptized. We are Catholic Christians. That is our identity. We belong to Him.
So, to my fellow sheep, do not forget to wear your ID… at all times.
Jesus, my shepherd, You never failed to guide us through life but oftentimes we fail to see the verdant pastures and the bountiful tables in the midst of our daily trials. We miss Your voice because the call of the world is so loud and undeniably appealing. We do not follow Your footsteps because there are a lot of pathways to choose from. We forgot our Christian calling.
Please extend Your already stretched understanding to accommodate our sinfulness. Please look upon us with Your most loving heart because we do not want to be left outside the gate. We cannot promise a smooth journey with You because we already failed a lot of times but with You around we can always catch Your scent. Help us to smell like You so that we may be able to lead other Christians to You.
This we ask You with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the Father, one God forever and ever. Amen.
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