4th SUNDAY EASTER (A)

FOURTH SUNDAY EASTER (A) 15 May 2011

In this time after Easter our liturgy encourages us to get on with living the baptismal life we either received at Easter or renewed at Easter. We are reminded that living the Christian life is like a long distance race: we need to move steadily on this journey. It is not as though we are somehow transported away from the daily grind of modern living or that we have received some sort of inoculation against doubt, distraction or even sometimes defeat. The Easter season is a time to grow in faith and in our commitment to the life of the baptised – but not by turning our back on the modern world. On the contrary, this life must be lived in the midst of the modern world with all of its complexity.

Let’s consider how the parable of the shepherd might help us. The first thing we notice in the parable is the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. The shepherd is not just doing a job by looking after the sheep; he is more like a father to them. He knows each one by name and can call out to them. The remarkable thing – at least to our mind – is that they follow him. They instinctively know his voice; they recognise it above all of the other voices that are trying to attract their attention. They instinctively know that if they follow him they will be safe.

Lurking in the background of the parable is a feeling that the world of the shepherd and the sheep was not an innocent world. In fact it was a complicated world and a competitive world where there was not a great sense of justice. There were people in this world who wanted to invade the sheepfold and steal the sheep. They wanted to lead them astray. They would try to lure the sheep by calling their name and hoping that they would feel secure enough to follow them. But their real intention was to harm the sheep and destroy them.

Why does Jesus tell this short parable? It is a parable that is as much about him as it was about the people who were listening to him. This was a time when there were lots of people out there trying to attract followers. It seemed that many of them thought that if they yelled out loud enough people would follow them. These people were seeking power more than anything else. Their idea was that if they became powerful enough they could shape the society in the way that suited them. At the time of Jesus there was a leadership vacuum in that society, and there were various groups and individuals struggling to get power. There was a large amount of dissatisfaction and confusion among ordinary people, so they were often willing to follow the person or group that cried out the loudest or made the most promises.

In this context Jesus presents himself as a true leader, as a good shepherd. In doing this he stands out from others who would be leaders. They fail because they are not like good shepherds who put the welfare of the sheep above everything else. Jesus, on the other hand, is like the shepherd in the parable. He knows his sheep – in fact he can call each one by name. They follow him, and he protects them. In a rich image in the parable he likens himself to the shepherd who lies down across the gateway of the sheepfold so that the robbers cannot get in. The point is obvious: he lays down his life so that others may have life.As we listen to this parable of the shepherd we should ponder how it can help us live the Christian life we received in baptism. The first thing it prompts us to do is to acknowledge and recognise that there are many voices in our world which are looking for our attention. Usually they are offering us happiness and contentment. Perhaps more than in previous generations, there is now no longer one predominant voice that speaks about the values we wish to live by. We are confronted with massive choice. This means that we need to continually ask ourselves where our true happiness lies. Does it lie in having more things? Does it lie in having power and authority? Does it lie in getting to the top of the ladder ahead of everyone else? In the midst of all the voices and choices in our world we need to be able to distinguish what will give us happiness for a short time from what will give us happiness that will stay with us throughout our life. We have to ask the question, what is going to fulfil my deepest desires and needs.

This is where listening to the voice of the shepherd is important. In our baptism we recognise that the life Jesus offers is truly the one that will touch us at the level of our deepest longings and desires. Through our baptism we were drawn into his life – his risen life. We were filled with the Holy Spirit who teaches us instinctively to recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd. During the season of Easter we have an opportunity to sharpen that instinct, so that we will hear more clearly his voice above the many others voices trying to attract our attention. Baptism does not mean that we run away from this world, but rather that we listen attentively to the voice of the Good Shepherd and follow his way with joy.

Fr. Gerard Kelly

Passion (Palm) Sunday (A) 2011

For five weeks we have been on a journey through Lent. This is a season that asks a number of things of us. In the first place, it asks that we make space to pause and look at our life. We have been doing this by listening to the readings week by week, and allowing them to help us focus on our belief in Jesus. While it has been important that we have found time to pause, Lent has also demanded of us that we be on the move and that we change. Often over these weeks you have probably heard reference to the Lenten journey. In a very obvious way it is a journey towards Easter and will conclude next week. But it is also a spiritual journey where we try to move from one point in our life to another. This is what we mean when we speak of conversion. During Lent the impetus for conversion comes from getting to know Jesus and the gospel he proclaimed. The more clearly we know him the more clearly we will see our own lives and know where we need reform.

We have probably also come to realise during Lent that change and conversion are not immediate. We don’t suddenly wake up one day being different people, even if we might wish it. That is why we also speak of conversion as a journey. It takes time; it takes patience; and it takes perseverance. For this reason, the journey of Lent can be likened to a pilgrimage. Pilgrims know where they are heading, and they know that they have to travel a certain distance each day. They also know that they need to pace themselves so that they are not so exhausted by one day’s journey that they are unable to continue the next day. Pilgrims look for support on their journey. That support may come from mediating on a scene from the life of Jesus, or from other pilgrims who give advice on how to make progress on the next stage of the pilgrimage, or from the places they pass through each day.

On our Lenten pilgrimage Palm Sunday is an important day. The scene of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem has something of a pilgrimage quality to it. Crowds join Jesus and want to make the journey with him. On this pilgrimage they will come to know who he is. All the imagery of the scene – the donkey, the cloaks on the back of the donkey, and the palms on the ground – gives the impression that this is a royal occasion. Here Jesus comes among them as the long-awaited Messiah. They shout Hosanna. They welcome him without hesitation. But even in the gesture of riding on the donkey he is giving one important clarification about his identity. He is not exactly the sort of Messiah that they were expecting. As the gospel tells us, he is humble and rides on a beast of burden. So at this important moment on this
pilgrimage their understanding of the Messiah is being purified. Their knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah will be challenged and purified in the following days.

The incredible thing about Palm Sunday is that the mood so quickly changes. The chants of “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessing on him who comes in the name of the Lord” will have changed within a few days to chants of “Crucify him!” The pilgrimage route has moved from the royal road paved with palm branches to the way of the cross, where he is mocked and scorned. Surely this will challenge his followers even more to purify their image of the Messiah.

This week we will journey with him on this pilgrimage. This will be a time to learn the meaning of the violence and insults that Jesus endured. It will be a time to recognise that in the end, violence was a complete failure. Yes, it will take the eyes of faith to recognise this, and to see in the face of Jesus the gaze of divine love. During this week, and especially next weekend, let’s walk with him and allow ourselves to be loved by him. This means taking a risk, because in being confronted by his love we will begin to see more clearly our own need of conversion. Then we will know that our pilgrimage has borne fruit.

Fr. Gerard Kelly