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| “Christ the Good Shepherd” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1660 |
Paul
and Barnabas continued on from Perga
and
reached Antioch
On
the sabbath they entered the synagogue and took their seats.
Many
Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism
followed
Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them
and
urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God.
On
the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered
to
hear the word of the Lord.
When
the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy
and
with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said.
Both
Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said,
“It
was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first,
but
since you reject it
and
condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life,
we
now turn to the Gentiles.
For
so the Lord has commanded us,
I
have made you a light to the Gentiles,
that
you may be an instrument of salvation
to
the ends of the earth.”
The
Gentiles were delighted when they heard this
and
glorified the word of the Lord.
All
who were destined for eternal life came to believe,
and
the word of the Lord continued to spread
through
the whole region.
The
Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers
and
the leading men of the city,
stirred
up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and
expelled them from their territory.
So
they shook the dust from their feet in protest against them,
and
went to Iconium.
The
disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
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Commentary on Acts 13:14,
43-52
This excerpt is part of Paul’s first missionary trip. His encounter with the Jewish Community in Antioch
We pick up in the second part of the reading were the Jews refuse
Paul’s logical apology. He then turns to
the Gentiles of the region who embrace the faith with great fervor, upsetting
the Pharisaic community which then forces Paul to leave.
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R. (3c) We are his people,
the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Sing
joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve
the LORD with gladness;
come
before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know
that the LORD is God;
he
made us, his we are;
his
people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The
LORD is good:
his
kindness endures forever,
and
his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or:
R. Alleluia.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps
100:1-2, 3, 5
Psalm 100 is a song of praise and thanksgiving. In this section we
praise God because He created us. We praise God because he continues to guide
us. It affirms God’s saving grace given to His sons and daughters through all
generations. It is also the alternate invitatory psalm offered by the faithful
in the Liturgy of the Hours as appropriate to begin the day’s prayer of the
Church.
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I, John, had a vision of
a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race,
people, and tongue.
They stood before the
throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and
holding palm branches in their hands.
Then one of the elders
said to me,
“These are the ones who
have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their
robes
and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.
“For this reason they
stand before God’s throne
and worship him day and
night in his temple.
The one who sits on the
throne will shelter them.
They will not hunger or
thirst anymore,
nor will the sun or any
heat strike them.
For the Lamb who is in
the center of the throne
will shepherd them
and lead them to springs
of life-giving water,
and God will wipe away
every tear from their eyes.”
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Commentary on Rev 7:9,
14b-17
This part of St. John’s Revelation envisions the Church in heaven
glorifying God. He sees a great number “…which no one could count” a possible
allusion to the promise made to Abraham (Genesis 15:5; Hebrews 11:12). The elders explain, after the final test, those
who have endured and remained faithful, are wearing white robes. Their robes are white because of Christ’s
sacrifice has washed them clean, free from sin by his sacrifice (the blood of
the lamb).
“Pope John Paul II has commented on this passage as follows:
"The people dressed in white robes whom John sees with his prophetic eye
are the redeemed, and they form a 'great multitude', which no one could count
and which is made up of people of the most varied backgrounds. The blood of the
Lamb, who has been offered in sacrifice for all, has exercised its universal
and most effective redemptive power in every corner of the earth, extending
grace and salvation to that 'great multitude'. After undergoing the trials and
being purified in the blood of Christ, they --the redeemed--are now safe in the
Kingdom of God, whom they praise and bless for ever and ever"
("Homily", 1 November 1981).”[4]
The selection concludes with a series of images from the Old
Testament. Christians will no longer know suffering (see Isaiah 49:10; Psalm 121:6; John 4:14; John 7:37) and the will be shepherded
by the Lamb (Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 24:33; John 10:11-16).[5]
The strong link here is between the vision of St. John of those
who have suffered persecution (“…survived
the time of great distress”) as it relates to St. Paul’s persecution in
Antioch (Acts 13:14, 43-52). The reading also links to our Gospel as St.
John makes reference to the “Good Shepherd” (John 10:27-30).
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Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they
follow me.
I give them eternal life,
and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out
of my hand.
My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them
out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are
one.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Jn 10:27-30
This passage is set within the great discourse of Jesus at the
Feast of the Dedication of the Temple. The
topic sets the stage for the second theme, “Jesus the life.” [the first theme
was “Jesus as light”] The “Good
Shepherd” takes the sheep, his flock, as his own possession represented by the
faithful. As this passage concludes we
hear conclusively that the Lord is one with the Father, truly God as well as
true man. “The Lord utters one of his ‘hard sayings’ which evoke the wrath of
the Jews, ‘the Father and I are one.’
In context, Jesus is amplifying his statement that no one can snatch the sheep
from him because they have been given him by the father; Father and Son are one
in mind, will, and action.”[6]
“The shepherd was often depicted as the self-sacrificing caretaker
of sheep who was dedicated to their well-being, brought back strays, and kept
them safe from the many dangers of the world (cf. 1 Samuel 17:34-35; Psalm 23:2; Amos 3:12; Matthew 18:12). Thus the
Lord was the Shepherd of Israel in poetic language (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 80:2). He led his people through the desert like a
shepherd leading his flock (Psalm
77:20; Psalm 78:52). The trust that the Israelite should have in
the Lord is epitomized by Psalm 23.”[7]
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Reflection:
“The Father and I are one.”
What
a simple statement. St. John
In
the modern Church we hear these words “The
Father and I are one” and accept them because we have been taught from our
earliest years that God’s manifestation is in the form of a Trinity of
Persons. Even though we cannot quite
grasp how this is even possible, over time we come to accept this seeming
divine schizophrenia as the nature of our God.
This belief was not always clear.
In the early Church, even as the various councils struggled with
codifying the books of Sacred Scripture (much was written in those very early
years that was not deemed to have been inspired by God) there were people who
put forward heretical understandings of the divine nature of Christ, of the
Holy Spirit, indeed of God Himself.
Virtually
every possible combination of understandings was put forward at one point in
time or another and sometimes by charismatic and forceful leaders. Because of the force of will of these usually
well intentioned individuals, some of these misguided philosophies gained
popular support and great schisms threatened the Church. We will not go through all of the great
Christological Heresies; but suffice it to say, they all ignored the simple
statement made by St. John – “The Father
and I are one.”
The
theological understanding of the unity of persons was a difficult idea to get
across to individuals who could not make the leap of faith required to accept
it. We can only imagine the difficulty
encountered by the Apostles as they brought the news of God’s revelation to
people who had no concept of what the Lord had done. We have taken for granted the struggles of
our forbearers in reconciling all of the different explanations for Christ’s
divinity and the vary nature of his being.
But what we are led to on this day is a profound gratitude for the great
Magisterium of the Church.
From
Apostolic times it has sifted through the various attempts by mankind’s limited
intellect to discover God’s nature and his will. In the end, because it is beyond human
understanding, the Church pronounces the nature of God a mystery which, to many,
is not a satisfying answer. However, to
ascribe anything else to the divine nature of God is heretically
presumptuous.
“The Father and I are one.” Accepting this article of faith, we also
accept that the Eucharist we share is God’s chosen manifestation of himself for
us. Today as we accept the Most Holy
Sacrament of the Altar, we are overawed that so great a thing could happen to
us.
Pax
In
other Years: Optional Memorial for Saint
Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
[2]
The picture is “Christ the Good Shepherd” by
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1660
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 66-67
[5]
Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 64:42, pp.478
[6]
Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 63:119, pp.445
[7]
Catholic Bible Dictionary, © by Scott Hann, 2009, pp. 839
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