4th Sunday of EasterActs 13:14, 43-52 Revelations 7:9, 14-17 John 10:27-30 The Gospel this weekend is this: John 10:27-30 My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. 30 The Father and I are one." The first reading is this: Acts 13:14, 43-52 They continued on from Perga and reached Antioch in Pisidia. On the sabbath they entered (into) the synagogue and took their seats… 43 After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. 44 On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. 45 When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. 46 Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us, 'I have made you a light to the Gentiles, that you may be an instrument of salvation to the ends of the earth.'" 48 The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, 49 and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region. 50 The Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their territory. 51 So they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. 52 The disciples were filled with joy and the holy Spirit. The second reading is this: Revelations 7:9, 14-17 After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands… 14 I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows." He said to me, "These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 "For this reason they stand before God's throne and worship him day and night in his temple. The one who sits on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will not hunger or thirst anymore, nor will the sun or any heat strike them. 17 For the Lamb who is in the center of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to springs of life-giving water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." MEDITATION: This 4th Sunday of Easter is Good Shepherd Sunday. It's referring to priests and nuns etc, but to much more also. There's a multitude of jobs to be done in helping life on earth. However it is putting emphasis on preparing people for life in Heaven - religious vocations and the job of spreading God's Word. Our Good Shepherd won't impose, and this little piece of priesthood doesn't want to be a barking 'sheepdog', but I want to at least point to Christ. He goes ahead in the hope that we'll all follow. He doesn't rattle off a list of instructions, or a lesson from a textbook, but rather He becomes flesh and blood to walk the same road alongside us, and we can talk with him in personal prayer. In a way that isn't explained in terms of 'sound-waves', his Word moved my heart. And it keeps moving it. He even submits to condemnation and crucifixion in order to win our hearts. He wins me! He's not asking us to be major intellectuals giving classes from a pulpit, but he's asking us to lend him our voices (and keyboards and wheelchairs!). My primary reaction today, is to give thanks ('Eucharist') for my vocation, and then to ponder what it is that God wants me to do next - and next - and after that. I've only got a few years left here - and so do you! - so let's 'get off the fence'! The first reading tells of Paul and Barnabas trying to get the Good News across to the Jews in Pisidia, but they get rejected. The gesture of shaking the dust off their feet is a way of saying "We give up on you". That may seem unloving, but it was a simple way of comunicating that they didn't agree. They weren't openly insulting, but loving sometimes involves criticising is a way of correcting. Also they did so because they felt called to keep moving on. They felt called to reach the gentiles, which meant all people outside the Jewish family. Maybe there are people in your life that seem far from your Christian faith, well, they may be the 'gentiles' that Christ wants to shepherd. But will you lend him your life to help? Fortunately, the Good News eventually reached our 'neck of the woods' in Ireland. But as we say "thanks", we may feel something inside asking "Would you help?". It's not a commandment of God, but a friendly petition. Many fear that a "yes" would bring challenges and problems, and that the annual salary isn't exactly enticing, but the amazing thing is that it does actually turn out very enjoyable. The dust that I'd like to shake off, isn't from my feet, but from my selfish heart, so that I'd be a decent mirror reflecting Christ for the world (cf 1 Cor 13:12). So I want to let God 'pass his duster' over me every day as I pray. Something like multiple sclerosis brings changes, but it doesn't negate my call. The patroness of missionaries (Therése of Lisieux) actually died of tuberculosis at 23. You may think that that's not important because you're in good health now, but there isn't a single one of us who's going to be in good physical health in a few years time! So this physical doctor turned to spiritual doctoring. Officially, I'm not a 'doctor of theology', but I hope to do whatever I can! God gives us all a role in his family. The Gospel and first reading today actually refer to the offer of Eternal Life, and the second reading is of a vision of the happy gang in heaven. Let's invest our lives well! In a way, we only get one chance! One thing for which I'm very thankfull in medicine, is actually my brief experience of death close-up. And we're all 'on that train'. As I read of the angels in heaven in white, I think of how people here put huge effort into nice wedding dresses. But what effort do we put into 'cleaning ourselves up' for our eternal wedding? Priests wear the 'albe' (white cloak) for celebrating mass! 'Alba' is actually the Spanish word for 'dawn' which is when the sun changes darkness to light. So priests try to transmit the light of 'the Sun which rises from on high'. So let's celebrate this Sunday telling Christ that we'd like to be good sheep that hear his voice, and also that we'd like to do whatever He wants to help in the shepherding! The gang in the second reading are also waving olive branches, and as we did on Palm Sunday five weeks ago, that's a way of welcoming our humble King. But in Heaven, it won't end up in Crucifixion. Will you welcome him properly to your 'neck of the woods' today? ...and take seriously his call to help in his shepherding - like Peter on the shore of Lake Tiberius last Sunday? .......Dara. En ESPAÑOL: 4° Domingo de Pascua: Hechos 13:14, 43-52. Apoc 7:9, 14-17. Jn 10:27-30 Este 4° Domingo de Pascua es el Domingo del Buen Pastor. Es un día de oración para las vocaciones. Está refiriéndose a sacerdotes, monjas, religiosos, etc., pero a muchos otros también. Hay una multitud de trabajos que hacer para ayudar a la vida en el mundo. Sin embargo está poniendo énfasis en la preparación de la gente para la vida en el Cielo – las vocaciones religiosas y el trabajo de comunicar la Palabra de Dios. Nuestro Buen Pastor no se impone, y este trocito de sacerdote no quiere ser ‘un perro pastor’, pero quiero al menos apuntar-señalar a Cristo. Él va delante esperando que le seguiremos. No da una lista de instrucciones ni una lección de libro de texto, sino más bien vive en carne y sangre a nuestro lado, y podemos hablar con Él en la oración personal. De una forma que no se explica por ‘ondas de sonido’, su Palabra me movió el corazón. Y sigue moviéndolo. Aún más, se somete a la condenación y crucifixión para ganar nuestros corazones. ¡Me gana a mi! No nos pide ser unos intelectuales impresionantes dando clases desde el púlpito, sino a prestarle nuestras voces (¡y teclados y sillas de ruedas!). Mi primera respuesta hoy es darle gracias (Eucaristía) por mi vocación, y desde allí pensar en lo que Dios quiere que haga yo ahora – y después – y después. Solo me quedan unos pocos años aquí – ¡y así es para ti también!, entonces ¡‘dejemos de mirar desde la barrera! La primera lectura habla de Pablo y Bernabé intentando compartir la Buena Nueva con los Judíos de Pisidia, pero están rechazados. El gesto de sacudirse el polvo de los pies es una forma de decir “No nos quedamos inmóviles aquí”. Puede parecer que faltaba amor, pero a veces el amar requiere aportar. No es insultar. También, lo hicieron porque estaban llamados a seguir adelante. Se sentían llamados a llegar a los gentiles, que significaba todos lo que están fuera de la familia Judía. Quizás hay gente en tu zona que parecen lejos de la fe Cristiana, y quizá son ‘los gentiles’ que Cristo quiere pastorear. Pero ¿le prestarás tu vida para ayudar? Gracias a Dios, la Buena Nueva eventualmente llegó hasta ‘nuestro rincón del bosque’ en Irlanda. Pero al decir gracias, puede ser que sintiéramos algo por dentro preguntando “¿Podrías ayudar?”. No es un mandamiento de Dios sino una plegaria amistosa. Muchos temen que un “Sí” traería desafíos y problemas, y que el salario anual no es atrayente, pero la maravilla es que de verdad acaba siendo muy agradable. El polvo que me gustaría quitar no es de mis pies sino de mi corazón egoísta, para que sea un espejo reflejando a Cristo más o menos bien para el mundo (cf 1°Cor 13:12). Entonces, quiero que Dios quite mi polvo al orar cada día. Algo como la esclerosis múltiple impone cambios, pero no paraliza mi vocación. De hecho, la patrona de las misiones (Therése de Lisieux) murió de tuberculosis a los 23 años. Puede ser que te parezca sin importancia porque tienes buena salud ahora, pero ¡no hay ni uno de nosotros que vaya a estar en buena salud física dentro de unos pocos años! Por eso este médico físico cambió a la medicina espiritual. ¡No soy ‘doctor’ de Teología, pero intentaré hacer lo que pueda! Dios nos da a todos un papel en su familia de pastores. El evangelio y la primera lectura de hoy mencionan la oferta de la Vida Eterna, y la segunda lectura habla de la visión de la panda alegre en el Cielo. ¡Invirtamos nuestras vidas físicas bien! ¡Solo tenemos una! Una cosa que me ayudó en medicina era el contacto con la muerte. Y estamos todos en este tren. Al leer sobre los Ángeles en el Cielo vestidos de blanco, me hace pensar en como se gasta tanto en faldas de boda bonitas. Pero ¿qué esfuerzo ponemos en prepararnos para nuestra boda eterna? ¡Los curas se visten con el alba blanca para la misa! La luz de Cristo alumbra la oscuridad del mundo. Él es ‘el Sol que nace de lo alto’. Entonces celebremos este domingo diciendo a Dios que nos gustaría ser ovejas que escuchen su voz, ¡y que queremos ser fieles en ayudar a su pastoreo! La panda de la segunda lectúra están también con ramas de olivo en los manos, y como la acogida de Jesús hace cinco semanas en el Domingo de Ramos, es una forma de acoger a nuestro Rey humilde. Pero en el Cielo, no llegará a una crucifixión. ¿Le acogerás bien hoy en ‘tu rincón del bosque’ y atender a su llamada a ayudarle a pastorear junto con Pedro al lado del Lago de Tiberiades la semana pasada?
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