Gospel & Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Easter – Good Shepherd Sunday.
John 10:27-30
Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”
Reflection
The son of a miner, the celebrated actor Richard Burton was born into a large family in a small village near Glamorgan, Wales. Reaching stardom and fame, he once returned home to a hero’s welcome and was given a grand reception in his childhood Parish Hall. While replying to the complimentary speeches made about him, he asked if there was anything those present wanted to hear from him. After a minute’s pause, his former Vicar asked him if he could recite the Good Shepherd Psalm (Psalm 23), which he had taught Burton in Sunday school. A strange look came over Burton’s face. He paused for a moment, and said, “I will, on one condition—that after I have recited it, you, my pastor and teacher, will do the same.” The old, retired minister said, “I am not an actor, but, if you wish it, I shall do so.”
Impressively, Burton, long removed from his inherited faith and a self-described atheist, recited the Psalm. His well-known voice and intonation were perfect. He held his audience spellbound, and, as he finished, a great burst of applause broke from the gathered audience. As it died away, the old minister rose from his wheelchair and began to recite the same Psalm. His voice was feeble and shivering, and his tone was not faultless. But, when he finished, there was not a dry eye in the hall. Burton rose and his voice quivered as he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I reached your eyes and ears, but my old pastor has reached your hearts. The difference is this: I know the Psalm, but he knows the Shepherd.”
Friends, our mutual calling, is to know and love the Shepherd too; to know, love, and follow Christ.
Last Thursday evening, very quickly and much to the surprise of the world, Pope Leo XIV was presented as the Shepherd to over a billion Catholics worldwide. We can sometimes think of Popes, and even Cardinals and Bishops as separate, as different from the rest of us. But they are different only in role. We share everything else in common with them – the Sacraments, our beliefs and teachings, our call to proclaim God to the world in all we say and do.
Regardless of any of our roles, through Baptism we are made equal, made treasured members of God’s family, the Church; and we are united in our one true vocation – to know, love, and follow God.
Yes, we pray in a particular way for Vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life this weekend, but we must never forget that it is the vocation of every human being, from the Pope to everyone else, to honour our creator and to worship Him. We are asked always to listen to His voice, to recognise it, and to never waver from what He says to us, even if we face criticism, resentment and persecution in there many overt and covert ways, because of His word.
At times, being Catholic, following our vocation in the diverse ways of our lives, is not always easy. We seem to be the butt of every joke; the seemingly only cause for every shame and scandal; the pointed-out killjoys of a world wishing for selfishness and self-indulgence. Yet, we know that there is much more to our faith and the love of God than that. There is an unparalleled beauty to God and His love for us.
We have the joyous call, the beautiful vocation, to make God’s beauty, His Love and His truth known in all that we say and do. It is easy to learn and recite something about God; anyone can do so. But we are called more to know God; to know God in our own heart, and allow our heart, allow God, reach out and influence others.
May we all manage to do that, in some way.
Fr. Richard
