Acts 11:1-18; John 10:11-18
“I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold”: Jesus Calls me to be a Missionary
For Liturgical Year C, from Easter to Pentecost, the first readings are taken from the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke. Hidden in Luke’s Acts of the Apostles is a method called “promise and fulfillment” – Acts was written to prove that what God promised in the Old Testament is fulfilled in the New Testament. So, how does this help us to understand the readings of this week, from 4th Sunday to Saturday of the 4th week of Easter? Before we answer that question, we should bear in mind that the major theme of every Sunday gets confirmation and consolidation through the week, except when feasts interrupt that flow. For this week, beginning from yesterday (Sunday), we are reflecting on “Called to Fidelity, NOT Success: Christ our Shepherd and Model.”
Now, the connection between our general theme of the week and today’s readings come from the role of “mission” in Acts. Why mission or what is the purpose of mission in Acts? The answer to that, from today’s gospel, is this: “I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd.” In other words, “mission” is necessary for three reasons: 1) so that every human being may be saved and become a child of God; 2) so that the “voice” or message of Christ may reach all peoples; 3) so that Christ will be “Shepherd” or Lord of all peoples.
Since we want to concentrate exclusively on today’s readings, the universality of mission is given a pride of place in today’s first reading. The Jewish believe that they were exclusively the people of God is changed today because non-Jews were given the Holy Spirit, the sign of adoption as children of God (Gal 4:4-7). In other words, the coming and presence of the Holy Spirit is a sign of a new dawn, a new age: the era of universal sonship and daughtership of the children of God. On top of that, God begins an era of accommodation and acceptance of others who may look, talk and behave differently from us; now is the era of universal reconciliation.
The specificity of today’s readings is the role of Christ in this mission of universal reconciliation – he gave his life for his sheep. The blood of Christ is the price for universal adoption and reconciliation. And if Christ is a good shepherd who gave his life for his sheep, it follows that every Christian should be ready to lay down his/her life, as Jesus did, for the salvation of the world.
“Mission,” then, involves you and me: here and now, God needs you and me to preach this reconciliation to the world. He wants us to stand up like Peter, in the first reading, and defend every oppressed person through standing for the universal, rather than the particular or that which segregates and divides. If Paul and Barnabas did the same yesterday in the synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia and they were expelled from the city, here and now, you and I should not shy away in the face of opposition to the gospel message; after all, Jesus died for that same message, and so should we, if God so desires!
Assignment for the Day:
Can you forgive those who offend you today, because of Christ, the good shepherd, who died for you and me? Or can you reach out to somebody who looks different or speaks a different language from yours and show him/her kindness?