|
Homily for the fourth Easter
Sunday - Year C - Jn. 10:27-30
by
Father Daniel Meynen
"Jesus said : « My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give
them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch
them out of my hand. 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. I
and the Father are one. »"
Homily:
"Jesus said: « My
sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. »"
Jesus is the good Shepherd:
"I am the good shepherd," he exclaimed (Jn. 10:11). The shepherd is the
one who is in charge of leading sheep in a single herd to a place where
the fresh and abundant grass will feed them to repletion. Gathering the
sheep into one herd makes it easier to watch over them, for wolves and
ferocious beasts, or even thieves, are always lying in wait for easy
and defenseless prey: "The wolf snatches them and scatters them..."
(Jn. 10:12) The shepherd makes sure that the sheep have sufficient food
and are protected from those who could disperse them or kill them.
That is quite a program for
the Shepherd of souls! He must be careful to give them an abundant and
sufficient spiritual food, one that can feed their souls in a
substantial manner. The Shepherd must also seek to maintain the
believers in the unity of charity and truth. And finally, the Shepherd
must warn those of whom he is in charge that they are in danger of
losing their soul in such and such a circumstance. It is quite a
program, one that goes as far as the imitation of the unique Shepherd:
Jesus! A program that therefore goes even to the sacrifice of the
Cross, to the martyrdom of heart or body, in following Christ!
"« I know them, and
they follow me. »"
If the Shepherd of souls
has responsibilities with regard to the believers who are confided to
him, then likewise these believers, those who believe in Christ, are
also responsible with regard to their Shepherd: they must follow their
Shepherd, they must listen to his voice: "My sheep hear my voice..." If
believers were to act only according to their personal preferences,
then how could they be guided by their Shepherd and find substantial
food for their souls? The primary role of believers is to obey their
Shepherd: they must exercise what Saint Paul calls "the obedience of
faith" (Rm. 1:5) How could believers remain united amongst themselves
if they don't recognize their head, in the person of their Shepherd? It
is necessary that one person unite all those who would truly want to
entrust themselves to him, in "the obedience of faith." How could the
faithful, alone, ultimately defend themselves against the forces of
evil, when their Shepherd has been specially delegated to them to bring
them the necessary help? The Shepherd is there, present in the midst of
the believers, to give them the necessary counsel and the power of the
sacraments.
"« I give them
eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them
out of my hand. 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. I and
the Father are one. »"
The remainder of Jesus'
discourse relates mainly to the eucharistic food, that which gives us
eternal life. A little before this, indeed, Jesus had announced the
Eucharist, speaking of the Bread of Life, which is completely oriented
toward the final Resurrection on the last day: "I am the bread of
Life... All that the Father gives me will come to me... This is the
will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has
given me, but raise it up on the last day... He who eats my flesh and
drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last
day." (Jn. 6:35...54)
Jesus is the good Shepherd!
But he is not only the Shepherd, he is also the food of those whom the
Father has confided to him! The good Shepherd gives himself as food for
his sheep! Now, there is only one Body of Christ: all those who eat the
Bread of Life receive the same Body of Christ. It is therefore in this
way that the good Shepherd, Jesus, achieves the unity of his sheep: all
are but one in him! And at the same time, Jesus protects them from all
evil: the eucharistic food provides believers with all the power of God
himself!
Let us thank Jesus on this
day! Let us welcome the good Shepherd into ourselves, let us follow
him, let us listen to his voice, soft but powerful like the roar of the
waters of a torrent! Let us ask Mary to help us to follow Jesus as she
followed him throughout all of her life!
To order the weekly homily immediately, click here |
||