Sunday, May 11, 2025

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

(Acts 13:14, 43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14-17; John 10:27-30)

Just as the Second Sunday of Easter has been named "Divine Mercy Sunday," this Fourth Sunday of Easter is called "Good Shepherd Sunday." Always on this Sunday we read part of the discourse of the Good Shepherd found in the Gospel according to John. Today we have read what amounts to the conclusion of the discourse.

The reading emphasizes three points. First, his sheep listen to the voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd. That is, his followers hear and heed his words. Although they challenge ("you also must wash one another's feet"), they also comfort ("I will not leave you orphans; I will come back to you"). Whether chastising or supporting, the voice of the Good Shepherd always speaks the truth that sets us free.

Second, no one snatches the sheep from the hands of the Good Shepherd. This is not possible because the sheep only follow his voice. The sheep know that he will lead them to the green pastures of eternal life. If anyone has fled to non-Christian religions, it is because they have not listened to the voice of the Shepherd.

Finally, Jesus says that he and the Father are one. This phrase is not intended as proof that Jesus is God. Rather, it indicates that the two -- Father and Son -- are united in love. During the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus will pray to the Father that all his disciples may be so united: "As you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us" (17:21b).

The new pope is the successor of Peter, whom Jesus chose to be his vicar. As Peter spoke with the voice of Christ, so must the new pope. He must faithfully pass on Jesus' teachings so that no one is led astray from the path to eternal life. Equally necessary, he must keep everyone close to him so that no one can take them away. This implies that people feel his love. Pope Francis won the affection of the world when he kissed the man whose face was covered with tumors. We hope that the new pope will not lack this kind of demonstrable love.

There have not been large numbers of Christians leaving belief in Jesus Christ for other religions. However, many Christians have rejected the pope as their vicar. First, the Orthodox separated from the Catholic Church. Then, evangelicals denied the authority of the Bishop of Rome. This second group has accepted moral practices that do not correspond to those of the Catholic Church. The new pope must seek ways that will unify Christians, at least in charitable works and hopes, as they are united in faith and Baptism.

In addition to being a pastor, the new pope will have other roles. Like Peter, he must be a fisher of men and women. As the world's most well-known moral force, he must remind national leaders of the need to resolve conflicts through dialogue and compromise. One of the greatest popes in history gave himself and all popes who have come after him another role.  Saint Gregory the Great called himself, the “servant of the servants of God.”  Like Christ and all Christians, the pope must serve.

Friday, May 9, 2025

 

Friday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 9:1-20; John 6:52-59)

People have searched for the perfect food.  They want a natural source of all the necessary protein, carbohydrates, fat, and nutrients.  Eating this food, they would never worry about balancing their diet.  Nutritionists, however, say that no such food exists.  Of course, there are eatables that are very healthy, but no single food can sustain a person indefinitely.  So, what is Jesus talking about in today’s gospel?  He says, “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life?” What does he mean by this?

The passage marks a turn in the “Bread of Life” discourse.  Jesus is no longer referring to receiving him by heeding his teaching as what gives life.  Rather, he is pointing to the Eucharist.  It is the bread transformed into his Body and the wine made into his Blood that give eternal life.  Two additional points need to be made.  First, Jesus is not saying that the Eucharist will sustain natural life.  Rather, they provide life in God’s company for eternity.  Second, eating his Body and drinking his Blood is tantamount to receiving him and heeding his teaching.  Anyone who does not believe in Jesus or has not followed his teaching does not benefit from the Eucharist but puts him or herself in peril.  It will bring that person condemnation, not life.

The Eucharist on a spiritual plane is like a balanced diet on a natural plane.  As we eat healthy food to keep us alive, we need the Eucharist to enjoy life with God forever. 

Thursday, May 8, 2025

 

Thursday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 8:26-40; John 6:44-51)

New Testament Greek has different words for the verb to eat.  To simply consume something, the Greek word is phago.  But in today’s gospel the evangelist uses trogo for eating which is more like chewing or gnawing.  What the evangelist John implies by trogo is that Jesus is offering himself not just to be consumed, but to be savored.

Jesus is in a contentious dialogue with his fellow Jews.  He tells them that he is the image of God sent into the world.  As God gave physical life to all creation, he is giving life everlasting to all who believe in him.  Belief, he says, is like savoring good food.  It is not just paying lip service but meditating on and doing what he says.

Some of Jesus’ teachings are difficult to practice.  Caring for an aged relative can be physically and emotionally trying.  We do so because Jesus told his disciples that as he washed their feet, they must wash the feet of one another.  Such service done out of love renders us not only saintly but also heirs of everlasting life.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

 

Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 8:1b-8; John 6:35-40)

 Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, may have had a small place in history if Russia had not invaded his country.  But it seems now that he will be remembered as a courageous defender of freedom whether or not the Ukrainians defeat the Russians.  Zelenskyy has refused to back down to the mighty Russian forces.  He has successfully appealed to the world for solidarity in the cause of national sovereignty.  There is a parallel here with what takes place in today’s first reading.

The Greek-speaking Jewish Christians have been expelled from Jerusalem.  Stephen’s diatribe against the temple set off a persecution against them but apparently not against the Hebrew-speaking church.  The oppression turns out to be not so much a threat to Church existence as a catalyst to its growth.  Powerful preachers like Philip will win converts in different lands among non-Jews.  The Church can now be seen as beginning to fulfill its universal mission.

Both Zelenskyy and the Greek-speaking Christians should inspire us to not surrender to defeatism when facing opposition.  Rather we should pray to God for courage, strength, and prudence to fulfill our destiny.  Of course, prayer is often accompanied by action.  We should pursue the struggle for justice while protecting our loved ones.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

 

Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter

(Acts 7:51-8:1A; John 6:30-35)

In the 1970s and 1980s it became fashionable to use homemade bread for Mass.  The bread did not contain leaven, but it was grainy and chewable.  It also looked more like table bread.  The custom faded when the Church insisted that the Eucharistic bread be made of just flour and water.  With only these elements it is hard to get anything but a wafer-like texture.  Today’s gospel indicates that this may be what is desired in bread meant for the Eucharist.

The crowd is asking Jesus for a sign like the manna with which God miraculously fed the Israelites in the desert.  Manna is described in the Bible as a “fine, flake-like thing like the frost on the ground.”   Its name is derived from the question the Israelites asked when they first saw it. “¿Man hu?” they said, which in Hebrew means “¿What is it?”  In offering Jesus’ body in the Eucharist, the Church presents a bread that resembles manna but provides eternal life rather than physical sustenance.

Receiving Communion weekly or daily, we may take it for granted.  It’s more than a wafer, nutritious bread, or even the miraculous bread of the desert.  It is Christ who gives himself that we may have eternal life.  Our meditation on this truth should help us overcome the temptation to think less of it.