'Hear the Word!' by Deacon Charles Paolino: Fourth Sunday of Easter

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles

(Chapter 13:14, 43-52)

We read in this passage about “the Jews” who rejected the preaching of Paul and Barnibas and provoked persecution against them, but we also read that “many Jews … and converts to Judaism” followed these Christian missionaries. Over the centuries, people from time to time have seized on these references to “the Jews” to justify attacks, including murder, against them. We should remember that the Church, as the Second Vatican Council proclaimed, regards the Jewish people as “most dear to God because of their fathers” and reminds us that the covenant God made with the Jews through Abraham and Moses is an eternal covenant. Meanwhile, our focus while reading this passage should be on the universal character of the gospel, a character foreshadowed by the appearance of the magi at the crib of Jesus. A revolutionary idea that Jesus introduced to the world is that God wills to embrace all people, without distinction. For us, that is both a model and a challenge.

Responsorial Psalm

(Psalm 100)

The psalm urges us to “serve the Lord with gladness.” How do we serve the Lord? Jesus made it clear that serving the Lord means serving each other, and we are not called to do that as a burden imposed on us but rather willingly, joyfully, in gratitude to God whose “kindness endures forever.”

A reading from the book of Revelation

(Chapter 7:9, 14b-17)

The vision the author describes in this passage was prompted by the persecution Christians were experiencing in the Roman Empire, probably between 81 and 96 A.D. The writer assures those suffering because of their faith in Jesus that even Rome isn’t mighty enough to deny them their ultimate reward: life forever in the presence of God. Although many Christians in the world today suffer for their faith, most of us do not—certainly not in the same way. That might magnify in our minds the difficulties we do encounter in life. God’s promise to us is the same: worship only him, keep his commandments, love each other, and we will be with him in Paradise.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

(Chapter 10:27-30)

When Jesus says, “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me,” he is describing a phenomenon that would have been familiar to folks in that time and place. Although sheep are often used as a metaphor for mindless crowds, they actually are highly intelligent and have excellent memories. Sheep learned to recognize the call of the person who had charge of them. They would respond to that call and to no other. This skill helped the shepherd keep the sheep together and, therefore, safe. In the increasingly noisy world of the 21st century, can we still recognize the call of our shepherd—the Good Shepherd—and follow only him?

†††

Painting: The Good Shepherd, García Salmerón (1603-66), originally painted for the church of St Genesius in Arles, France, now in the Prado Museum in Madrid. Public domain.

Excerpts from the English translation of the Lectionary for Mass © 1969, 1981, 1997, International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation (ICEL). All rights reserved.

Charles Paolino is managing editor at RENEW International. He is a permanent deacon of the Diocese of Metuchen.