4th Sunday of Easter-B
Acts 4:8-12
Psalm 118
I Jn. 3:1-2
John 10:11-18
One Flock with One Shepherd
Beloved in Christ, our gospel today contains one of the sayings of Jesus that has occupied me for most of my adult life. I think about that statement a lot as a Catholic priest. Jesus says, "I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold; they too I must lead so that there will be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16)."
What does Jesus mean by that? So, besides Catholics, Jesus has other flock? Really? Who are they? Jesus describes them: Even though they do not belong to this fold, they hear his voice as we do.
Jesus' description brings a lot of faces to my mind. I think of a couple I know who are one of my adopted families. They call me son, and I call them Mom and Dad. Mom is Christian, and Dad is Hindi. They have been married for over 30 years. They practice their faith separately, but for the past 5 years, they have been praying the rosary together as husband and wife. I also think about a friend I had lunch with two months ago, who is Muslim and told me she admires Christians, has read the Bible, and follows what Jesus teaches, but she is Muslim because she was born into a Muslim family. How many of us are Catholics because we were born into a Catholic family? Another face that comes to mind is that of Stephen, a young man who is a friend of Sam Black. Stephen is Muslim, and he freely decided to visit our parish, he joined us for Mass on Palm Sunday and told me after the Mass that God spoke to him during the Mass; even though he is Muslim, he heard God's voice during the Mass. "I know them, they know me, they hear my voice"! I believe this is what St. John, in our second reading means when he writes that we are all children of God, and God is not ashamed to call us his children.
Beloved, I have a question for you. In our first reading today, why do you think the high priest and the elders of the people were so angry with Peter and John for doing a good thing, curing a man who was crippled? The high priest and the elders thought that they had the privilege of God's revelation, and they did not believe that God could reveal any truth to people like Peter and John. The high priest and the elders limited God to only what they knew or believed about God. So, what lesson can we learn from that reading?
- God can reveal his truth to anyone that God chooses.
- We cannot limit how God reveals himself! Rather, we need to embrace God’s truth wherever it is found.
In my religious studies class some years back, I read that one reason why the Prophet Mohammed started a new community of believers was because the Christians in his area at that time did not want anything to do with him and his family. How I wish those Christians had welcomed the Prophet Mohammed and his family and genuinely engaged him in dialogue rather than avoiding them.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church# 843 teaches that there is some goodness and truth in all religions. I want to read that paragraph to you: "The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search …, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."
Beloved, we need to be open to dialogue with our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations and people of different religions so that we can learn about how God has revealed himself to them and share how God has revealed himself to us so that together we can work towards a fuller knowledge and understanding of who God is and what he expects of us, so that there will be one flock and one Shepherd, Jesus.
Add a comment