Photo by joseph d’mello on Unsplash
Easter 4 C
Palm 23; John 10:22-30
Time is defined as the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. Can anyone live both in the past and the future? The notion of time is interesting.
My two brothers in Korea live in the future, 14 hours ahead of me. The year we live in is 2022, but to people in Thailand, this year is 2565, following the Buddhist Era, which is 543 years ahead of our Gregorian calendar. The way we recognize time is different, even though it is still the same present time.
Time is also relative. For those who are busy with their activities, it may fly by like an arrow, but for some others, time may feel like a cell, locking them in, with no way to escape.
No matter how you perceive time, time has been an important notion in diverse fields such as competitive sports and business. Time, being considered as the fourth dimension along with three spatial dimensions, also has a significant social importance and economic value due to limited human life spans. Thus, time is gold. But, I would say time is an intricate story, more than gold, which money cannot buy.
There is a famous astronomical clock at Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Strasbourg in France, built in the 1350s, repaired towards the end of the 14th century, and eventually replaced in 1547. This clock will tell you a story.
At half past noon an angel blows a horn, and all of the figures come out. The apostles then pass before Christ, saluting Him, commemorating as the four ages of Life – child, youth, adult, and old age – move past Death. This procession of the figures of Christ and the Apostles is a highlight of the clock for visitors.
In our lives many things happen, expected and unexpected, and we try to overcome yesterday’s struggles and embrace today’s new challenges, seeking to advance human freedom and capacity.
Difficulties and adversities are necessary elements of individual growth, and we find our true potential in the face of impossible odds and think of them as a medium to find a new path on the road less travelled.
During our Paschaltide, we listen to the Scripture where Jesus continually appeared to His disciples to bless them after His resurrection until His accession. We are journeying with Jesus, “the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:29), celebrating the defeat of death and the hope of salvation, overcoming personal hardships in order to be united with Him in His resurrection.
This week’s lectionary continues with the lesson of the Good Shepherd and His sheep, following the last week’s lesson of Jesus’ two commands upon Peter’s commission: Feed My lamb and tend My sheep.
Traditionally the fourth Sunday of Easter is called Good Shepherd Sunday, a day for intentional prayers for vocations to ordained ministry and the religious life. This day could also be expanded to include lay ministries.
Also, today, May 8th is Victory in Europe Day, the day celebrating the formal acceptance by the Allies of World War II of Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces in 1945. Russia and many former Soviet countries celebrate it on May 9th, marking the end of World War II in Europe. Sadly, on this symbolic day, Russian attacks in Ukraine continue to tear the hearts of many souls. We need to pray unceasingly to change the hearts of those set on violence and aggression and to fill earthly leaders with wisdom to find paths to peace.
Coincidentally, today is Mothers’ Day, as well. A mother understands what a child does not say, as if a shepherd understands the needs of the sheep. A motherly love – tender, sacrificial, and courageous – is a purest form of love.
Unfortunately, in this broken world, there are children growing up without mothers or without mother figures. This is the same in the wild life; some animals are killed by poachers, and wildlife sanctuaries look after orphaned baby animals and fight to keep poachers out. To these poor creatures, their mothers are zookeepers. Being a mother is not necessarily a biological relation.
All these different markers in our calendar seem to point to one thing – an ultimate destination to peace on earth!
King David, who himself was once a shepherd, wrote a psalm: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want.” Psalm 23 has been loved and memorized by so many people, and used by many ministers to comfort those who are undergoing suffering or dying. It pours such a deep consolation into the heart of the one who is in the loneliest place.
To David, the Lord was not a distant imaginary figure but a real and personal being in whom he could confide, who knew his joys and pains. The Lord was his who cared for him, watched over him and preserved him. Here, his relationship with the Lord is deeply personal.
In catacomb painting, the image of the good shepherd reoccurs, recalling this 23rd Psalm, in which the shepherd leads the sheep "through the valley of the shadow of death."
Jesus spoke of Himself as the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep and who can say, “I know My sheep, and am known by My own” (Jn 10:11, 14).
In his first epistle, St. Peter portrays Jesus as “the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls” (1 Pet 2:25) who restores you, leads you, walks through the valley of the shadow of death. Not a mountaintop or broad meadow, but a valley, not facing the substance of death but the shadow of death, casting its dark across your path in this world through this passing hour . . .
You do not walk in the valley but through the valley. Near death, you will walk calmy because the shadow of death cannot destroy you.
“The Lord is my Shepherd.” This present tense emphasizes the presence of the shepherd that eliminates the fear of evil for the sheep. This verse is not only for the dying but also for the living.
“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,” sings David. All the needs of the sheep are tended and supplied by a good shepherd. Thus, the sheep do not have to desire more than what is given by the shepherd.
The Lord brings you near green pastures and still waters to restore your soul with His tender care. You are led by the Shepherd in front and escorted with angels at your back. The Shepherd anoints your head with oil, and your cup runs over. How would it be with you when God had filled your cup? How much would you have had in your cup?
We are called to be shepherds, laying down our own lives, bound up with the well-being of all the other life. This calls for social justice, for peace, and for sustainable progress.
Our Good Shepherd does not simply guide and comfort us but restores and strengthens us. All we need to do is to walk with Him in obedience on the path He is leading us to. We calmly walk, not in the valley, but through the valley.
The rod and the staff of the Good Shepherd guide us to the right direction, discipline us through correction, and keep us safe in His strong arms as we pass through troubled times.
He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms and carry them in His bosom and gently lead those that are with young. ~ Isaiah 40:11