Catechism Links[1]
CCC 754,
764, 2665:
Christ the Shepherd and Gate
CCC 553,
857, 861, 881, 896, 1558, 1561, 1568, 1574: Pope and bishops as shepherds
CCC 874,
1120, 1465, 1536, 1548-1551, 1564, 2179, 2686: Priests as shepherds
CCC 60,
442, 543, 674, 724, 755, 775, 781: The Church is made up of Jews and Gentiles
CCC 957,
1138, 1173, 2473-2474:
Our communion with the martyrs
 |
| “Christ the Good Shepherd” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1660 |
Reading 1:
Acts 13:14, 43-52
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
begins with his exhortation about Jesus, the Messiah, to the members of that
community. This encounter, and the antagonism he faces from the Jews, sets the
tone for most such interactions throughout the balance of St. Paul's encounters
with the Jewish leadership in his missionary travels. Much of what is
said in verses 15-42 (not presented here) relate to how the Lord came in
fulfillment of the scriptures (see below).
In the second part of the reading,
the Jews refuse Paul’s apologetic logic. 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.
"'They shook the dust from their feet': a traditional expression:
the Jews regarded as unclean the dust of anywhere other than the holy land of
Palestine. Our Lord extended the meaning of the phrase when He told the
disciples He was sending them out to preach, 'If any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the
dust from your feet' (Matthew 10:14; cf. Luke 9:5). This
gesture of Paul and Barnabas echoes what Jesus said and amounted to ‘closing
the case’ or putting on record the unbelief of the Jews." [5]
CCC: Acts 13:48 2640
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Responsorial Psalm:
Psalm 100:1-2, 3, 5
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.
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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 an 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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Reading II:
Revelation
7:9, 14b-17
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.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on
Rv
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 that, after the final test, those who have endured and remained
faithful are wearing white robes. Their robes are white because Christ’s
sacrifice has washed them clean, they are freed 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).” [6]
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 they
will be shepherded by the Lamb (Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 24:33; John 10:11-16). [7]
There is a strong connection here
between the vision of St. John of those who have suffered persecution (“survived
the time of great distress”) and St. Paul’s persecution in Antioch (Acts 13:14, 43-52). The
imagery also connects to St. John's Gospel as the evangelist makes reference to
the “Good Shepherd” (John
10:27-30).
CCC: Rv 7:9 775,
1138
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Gospel:
John 10:27-30
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.” [8]
“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.” [9]
CCC: Jn
10:30 590
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Reflection:
We
constantly thank God for all of his gifts to us. Today, especially, we also thank our mothers
without whom we would not have come into this world and without whom we would
not have learned to bless the Lord for all he has done.
“The Father and I are one.”
What
a simple statement. St. John records the
Lord’s words which define Jesus not as just “one of the sons of God.” Rather, he
is of the same essence as God, separate in revelation, but sharing continuity
of being. It was because of this sameness
that the relationship between the Father and the Son is more than the
relationship between a biological parent and his child. It is because he is God
that Jesus was able to reveal God’s purpose so completely.
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 the first few
centuries following Christ’s resurrection that was not deemed to have been
inspired by God, e.g. the Gospel of St. Thomas), 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 forebears in reconciling all of the different explanations for Christ’s
divinity, and the very 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; to many, that
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 on this date: Optional
Memorial for Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs
[1]
Catechism links are taken from the Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for
Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2]
The picture is “Christ the Good Shepherd” by
Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, c. 1660.
[4]
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 republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
[5]
The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002,
p 807.
[6]
The Navarre Bible: “Revelation and Hebrews and Catholic Letters”, Scepter
Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 66-67.
[7]
Jerome Biblical
Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 64:42, p.478.
[8]
Jerome Biblical
Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 63:119, p.445.
[9]
Catholic Bible Dictionary, ©
by Scott Hann, 2009, p. 839.
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