April 22, 2018: 4th Sunday of Easter B
April 22, 2018: 4th Sunday Easter Good Shepherd
Click to hear Audio Homily
Click to hear song, "I heard the voice of Jesus Say"
Where do you turn to when you’re looking for answers to perplexing questions about your life? Although Google is helpful in looking up about facts, data, and information, the search comes up empty when we are looking for answers to deeper personal questions about our purpose in life, why we suffer, why we need forgiveness, and our call to love.
A little boy named Emanuele made the headlines in Catholic news this past week when he was looking for an answer to a question that saddened him. Pope Francis was visiting a local Italian parish and allowed children to ask questions. When Emanuele approached the microphone to ask his question, he froze and burst into tears and said, “I can’t.” The Pope encouraged him, “Come, come to me, Emanuele. Come and whisper it in my ear.” The little boy approached the Pope and whispered his question into his ear. Little Emanuele was in tears, and the Pope embraced him and consoled him. The Pope asked his permission to tell others what he asked him and revealed that Emanuele’s dad had recently died. He was the father of four children and despite being a non-believer, he had all his children baptized as Catholics. Emanuele’s question for the Pope was, “My dad was a good man. Is dad in heaven?”
In preparing to answer the little boy’s question, Pope Francis asked everyone to ponder what God is like and what kind of heart God has. He said, “God has a dad’s heart. And with a dad who was not a believer, but who baptized his children...do you think God would be able to leave him far from himself?...Does God abandon his children when they are good?” The children responded a resounding, “No!” The Pope told the boy, “There, Emanuele, that is the answer. God surely was proud of your father, because it is easier as a believer to baptize your children than to baptize them when you are not a believer. Surely this pleased God very much.” Pope Francis encouraged Emanuel to “talk to your dad; pray to your dad.”
Pope Francis was a good shepherd to little Emanuele, leading this lost and dejected sheep back to the safety of the sheepfold. The interaction between little Emanuele and Pope Francis reminds me of the lyrics of the hymn:
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down, Thy head upon My breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, Weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting-place, And He has made me glad.
In today’s Gospel passage, Our Lord said, "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” A shepherd is someone who grows up knowing, caring, and protecting a flock of sheep. He was born for that noble, lonely, and dangerous role; and the shepherd is committed to his sheep. We call Jesus the Good Shepherd because he not only took many risks for his flock, but he also died defending it. One of the earliest paintings in the Roman catacombs represents Jesus as carrying an injured sheep on his shoulders.
Our Lord is a shepherd who understands us and whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go out and search after us. When we face difficult times, illness, and crosses, his consoling voice is constantly reaching out to us. Yet there are men and women in our lives who either through no fault of their own or through their own fault do not hear his voice and do not know or follow him. Our Lord desires for us to be his co-workers in the vineyard to bring lost and non-believing souls to him. The best way for us to teach about Jesus is by the way we live our lives. When others see in us the compassion we have for others and the joy in our lives because of our relationship with Jesus, then they will want to know the root of our joy. We also need to pray for those who do not know Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to open their hearts and minds. We pray that we will know the right time and have the courage to invite a person to enter a relationship with the Lord.
Jesus said in the scriptures that all of heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents. We need not be surprised or discouraged if we are rejected in our efforts, for even Our Lord was rejected. Was there a time when you were far away from the Lord and someone helped you come back to the Lord by their patient and persistent kindness? Let us ask Our Lord to help us become a good shepherd -- someone who is patient, kind, compassionate, selfless, and on fire with the Lord. What a joy would it be for that thirsty soul who finally finds rest and peace in Our Lord, just as the hymn explains,
I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Behold, I freely give the living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live." I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.
Click to hear Audio Homily
Click to hear song, "I heard the voice of Jesus Say"
Where do you turn to when you’re looking for answers to perplexing questions about your life? Although Google is helpful in looking up about facts, data, and information, the search comes up empty when we are looking for answers to deeper personal questions about our purpose in life, why we suffer, why we need forgiveness, and our call to love.
A little boy named Emanuele made the headlines in Catholic news this past week when he was looking for an answer to a question that saddened him. Pope Francis was visiting a local Italian parish and allowed children to ask questions. When Emanuele approached the microphone to ask his question, he froze and burst into tears and said, “I can’t.” The Pope encouraged him, “Come, come to me, Emanuele. Come and whisper it in my ear.” The little boy approached the Pope and whispered his question into his ear. Little Emanuele was in tears, and the Pope embraced him and consoled him. The Pope asked his permission to tell others what he asked him and revealed that Emanuele’s dad had recently died. He was the father of four children and despite being a non-believer, he had all his children baptized as Catholics. Emanuele’s question for the Pope was, “My dad was a good man. Is dad in heaven?”
In preparing to answer the little boy’s question, Pope Francis asked everyone to ponder what God is like and what kind of heart God has. He said, “God has a dad’s heart. And with a dad who was not a believer, but who baptized his children...do you think God would be able to leave him far from himself?...Does God abandon his children when they are good?” The children responded a resounding, “No!” The Pope told the boy, “There, Emanuele, that is the answer. God surely was proud of your father, because it is easier as a believer to baptize your children than to baptize them when you are not a believer. Surely this pleased God very much.” Pope Francis encouraged Emanuel to “talk to your dad; pray to your dad.”
Pope Francis was a good shepherd to little Emanuele, leading this lost and dejected sheep back to the safety of the sheepfold. The interaction between little Emanuele and Pope Francis reminds me of the lyrics of the hymn:
I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down, Thy head upon My breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, Weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting-place, And He has made me glad.
In today’s Gospel passage, Our Lord said, "I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” A shepherd is someone who grows up knowing, caring, and protecting a flock of sheep. He was born for that noble, lonely, and dangerous role; and the shepherd is committed to his sheep. We call Jesus the Good Shepherd because he not only took many risks for his flock, but he also died defending it. One of the earliest paintings in the Roman catacombs represents Jesus as carrying an injured sheep on his shoulders.
Our Lord is a shepherd who understands us and whose patience and love are infinite. He is always ready to go out and search after us. When we face difficult times, illness, and crosses, his consoling voice is constantly reaching out to us. Yet there are men and women in our lives who either through no fault of their own or through their own fault do not hear his voice and do not know or follow him. Our Lord desires for us to be his co-workers in the vineyard to bring lost and non-believing souls to him. The best way for us to teach about Jesus is by the way we live our lives. When others see in us the compassion we have for others and the joy in our lives because of our relationship with Jesus, then they will want to know the root of our joy. We also need to pray for those who do not know Jesus and ask the Holy Spirit to open their hearts and minds. We pray that we will know the right time and have the courage to invite a person to enter a relationship with the Lord.
Jesus said in the scriptures that all of heaven rejoices over one sinner who repents. We need not be surprised or discouraged if we are rejected in our efforts, for even Our Lord was rejected. Was there a time when you were far away from the Lord and someone helped you come back to the Lord by their patient and persistent kindness? Let us ask Our Lord to help us become a good shepherd -- someone who is patient, kind, compassionate, selfless, and on fire with the Lord. What a joy would it be for that thirsty soul who finally finds rest and peace in Our Lord, just as the hymn explains,
I heard the voice of Jesus say, "Behold, I freely give the living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live." I came to Jesus, and I drank of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, and now I live in Him.
