4th Sunday of Easter, Year B – Homily
We celebrate the 4th Sunday of Easter today. The gospel reading on the 4th Sunday of Easter always come from Jesus’ Good Shepherd discourse in chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. We also celebrate it as the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. We hear Jesus identify himself as the Good Shepherd. What vocation has God called us to? Are we called to married life, priesthood, religious life, or the diaconate? How does God call us to use the gifts He has given us?
Peter had been a fisherman until Jesus called him to the leader of the Apostles. After Jesus’ death and Resurrection, Peter and the others are “filled with the Holy Spirit.” Peter was given the power to heal people. Shortly before the scene in today’s first reading, Peter has healed a crippled man (see Acts 3:1-9). In today’s scene, he is “being examined” about how he healed the person.
It is an awesome thing he has done. He could have claimed glory for himself but he did not. He pointed the people to Jesus as he said, “that it was in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ the Nazorean whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead.” The glory belongs to God.
What has God called you to do? Have you done it and do you give thanks and praise to God?
Peter then points the people to Psalm 118, “He is stone rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.” The Jews (the builders) had been waiting a 1,000 years for a new messiah. They were supposed to have been sharing the faith with others (hence “the builders”). Now they have rejected Jesus. Jesus becomes the cornerstone of Christianity.
Is Jesus your cornerstone?
We cannot save ourselves. We cannot make our own foundation or truth. As Peter said, “There is no salvation through anyone else.” We can’t save ourselves. We don’t have to save ourselves. Jesus saves us.
Psalm 118 proclaims, “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.”
Who do you count on for help? Other people (i.e. man)? Do you expect the government (i.e. princes) to fix all your problems? We should be able to count on other people for help. The government has a responsibility to help those in need. At times other people or the government can be the way the Lord works to help us. However, other people or the government cannot save us. It is God whom we should make our refuge. The Lord should be the cornerstone of our life. As Peter says in Acts 5:29, “We must obey God rather than men.”
God does great things for us. As we read in our second reading, “See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called children of God.”
It is not easy. As we live our faith in this world, we find ourselves at odds with the world. Why? “The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”
Jesus truly is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. He is totally committed to saving us. Other people and princes may be like the hired hand who “sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away.” Jesus did not run from his suffering Passion. Jesus will never run away. People sometimes reject the truth in favor of a false sense of freedom. They may hide the truth. Jesus never hides the truth. Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him (see John 14:6).
Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.” Jesus knows you by name. He knows you better than you know yourself.
How well do you know Jesus?
Since you are reading this, you probably know something about Jesus but how well do you know him? What is your relationship with Jesus like?
Do you put more effort into your relationship with your friends or with Jesus?
Do you put more effort into making other people happy or trying to follow Jesus?
If you realize you have fallen short of following Jesus, do not be afraid. Jesus still loves you. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). When you realize you have sinned, all you have to do is repent and ask God to forgive you in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and He will.
Jesus died for your sins.
Peace,
Fr. Jeff