Fourth Sunday of Easter: 4-17-16
Peace be with You,
Last week, in Peter’s encounter with the resurrected Lord, we were presented with the beautiful message that our loving God can use every situation we face, especially our failures, as an opportunity to bring us closer to Him. The end of this encounter provides an easy transition into our readings for today, for, having met with and reaffirmed his commitment to Christ, Peter (and we along with him), heard Jesus speak these words to him: Follow me.
In today’s gospel reading from John, we join Jesus as he has just presented himself as the Good Shepherd. It is interesting to note that today’s gospel reading takes place during the feast of dedication, or as we know it, Hanukkah. This Jewish celebration is the celebration of the re-dedication of the temple, after it had been defiled by the Greeks. We may fairly say then, that Hanukkah, is the celebration of God being placed in his rightful position within the culture. This is exactly the same sentiment that is being related in our second reading from the book of Revelation, there we see a great celebration, a heavenly liturgy, where all are gathered around the throne of the Lamb, who has been sacrificed for the people, and who now promises to lead his people to ’springs of life-giving water’; and to ’wipe every tear from the faces’ of those who have been faithful followers. This is the very same promise made by the Good Shepherd. However, notice, once again, as we saw last week, recognition of just who Jesus is is crucial. He tells us, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
My friends, we live in a world that inundates us with noise, a noise that quite often attempts to imitate the call of the.
Good Shepherd. Political figures promise us deliverance from the difficulties we face as a society, and advertisements promise to fill our life with satisfaction. However, while having some things is not bad, they cannot satisfy. And, though politicians can do things to improve society (don’t laugh!), they are not our Shepherd. Friends, there is only One Good Shepherd, and we must take the time to get to know him more intimately, in order to ensure that he remains at the center of our lives and that we are readily able to recognize His voice whenever He calls.
Your servant in Christ,
Tony
Tony Crescio is the founder of FRESHImage Ministries. He holds an MTS from the University of Notre Dame and is currently a PhD candidate in Christian Theology at Saint Louis University. His research focuses on the intersection between moral and sacramental theology. His dissertation is entitled, Presencing the Divine: Augustine, the Eucharist and the Ethics of Exemplarity.
Tony’s academic publications can be found here.